| A haphazard record of experience, feeling and thought . . . |
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         To read Doug Johnstone on William McIlvanney click here. 
Willie and his website are featured on page 3 of S on S. Click here. To read Susan Mansfield's article on William McIlvanney click here  |
| William McIlvanney Remembered From Willie's Memorial Service, 2nd April 2016 |
by Hugh McIlvanney |
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| by Francis Bickmore Willie and I first met with Jenny Brown, his devoted and tireless agent of recent years. It was in a tent one memorable Edinburgh book festival in 2012. I was immediately in awe and a bit in love with the man. His composure. The grace of his language. Each sentence considered, correct and transcribable. His handsome face and immaculate suited style, like an Ayrshire Clark Gable. And the dignity with which he spoke. What an inspiration and example. What a true gentleman. (continue reading) |
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| by Ali Smith We had no idea how lucky we were about to be. I was one of the intake of first years at Aberdeen University in 1980. In those days the notion of a creative writing fellow was exotic. The notion of meeting a writer at all was quite exotic. The notion that you might be able to show something you’d written to not just a writer, but a writer who’d actually published real books – it was like a dream. So, first of all, there was that. And now, when I look back at that time and realise that the writer we were about to meet was Willie – William McIlvanney – I really can’t believe our luck. (continue reading) |
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| by Hugh MacDonald There is a voice nagging in my head at the moment. Its familiarity is comforting though its absence beyond my napper is deeply vexing. But it says: “For God’s sake, Hughie, let them away for a hauf.” In memory of Willie McIlvanney, I will thus be brief. I will also, almost in tribute, stray somewhat from my brief of talking about Willie’s journalism. Willie, after all, was known to take a commission as a mere suggestion. The eloquence and artistry of this afternoon will thus be replaced here... (continue reading) |
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| by Val McDermid The last time I saw Willie was not in the flesh but in a recent television documentary about the late, great Jim Baxter. In the documentary, we saw part of Willie’s eulogy to one of the finest footballers Scotland has ever produced and it feels entirely appropriate to me that this was the last glimpse I had of Willie. He was speaking from the heart about a man who was a genuine working class hero, who gave joy to millions. And when I think of Willie as a crime writer, I can never forget the way the Laidlaw trilogy gave a voice to the working class people of Scotland. Like Baxter, Willie was a working class hero whose work embodied grace, elegance and wit. (continue reading) |
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| by Allan Massie It’s an honour to have been asked by the family - Siobhan, Liam and Siobhan – to speak about Willie today, and to pay tribute to his life and work. It’s an honour to have been asked by the family - Siobhan, Liam and Siobhan – to speak about Willie today, and to pay tribute to his life and work. |
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| William McIlvanney Remembered From Willie's Funeral Service, 16th December 2015 |
| by Siobhan McIlvanney Today I would like to read a poem by the American poet Emily Dickinson in memory of my Dad. I have chosen this poem for a couple of reasons. First, while my Dad was a very proud Scot, he was also someone who was acutely aware of the importance of openness towards other cultures and languages. My Dad had a confidence in his own worldview, whether political or literary, which meant he was comfortable with himself and consequently comfortable with digesting an eclectic range of opinions. Which he did - whether at the level of his literary taste or his daily papers which some of you may be surprised to learn comprised The Herald... (continue reading) |
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by Hugh McIlvanney That I loved him deeply is no more than natural. Blood alone would account for that. Our lives could hardly have been more entwined when we were young -- sleeping in the same bed for quite a few of the early years and mingling our boyish adventures and dreams of the future. (continue reading) |
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| Memorial Service, 2nd April 2016 |
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| William McIlvanney - Obituaries and Tributes |
                 
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   At the Haye Festival on Sunday June 2nd 2013, Irvine Welsh interviewed William McIlvanney. Check it out here. After one particularly dark question about the socio-economic conditions in eighties Scotland, Irvine lifted the mood with: "Anybody got a question about puppies, bunnies & kittens?" Love it! And what an infectious laugh! |
| Features |
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The Laidlaw Trilogy When they were first published, they won Silver Dagger awards and were nominated for Edgars. With Canongate Publishing due to re-launch the Laidlaw novels, starting in May 2013, We feature extracts from the novels, selected and introduced by Willie, as well as a few interesting extras. |
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Sean Connery "Any attempt to understand such a life can’t seek to be definitive. What it can possibly do is like archaeology , sink some speculative shafts into those times and, from what it finds, elicit some impression of the nature of the person, arrive perhaps at the salient features of the life...". |
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Glasgow "I'm on a late-night train leaving Central Station. I have the compartment to myself until the train begins to pull out. I can hear the scuffling sounds in the corridor outside that announce the man with drink taken who has just made it. Experience tells me he will soon be my travelling companion. He soon is....". |
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TV-ing it... "At one stage, being even shorter of money than usual, I agreed to do a TV column for the Glasgow Herald. I enjoyed it but, finding I did virtually no other writing during that time, I soon gave it up. A few samples may give a flavour of that phase, round about 1979 - 1980, I think." |
| What other people say about William McIlvanney While putting this site together for Willie, I decided to add some quotes of what people have said about him and his work over the years. Being a modest elder statesman, Willie was less than enthusiastic about the idea. However, despite Willie's objections, I have gone ahead and included the quotes anyway. Neil McIlvanney ‘This is a man temperamentally incapable of writing bad prose’ – Jan Bell ‘Illuminating and thought-provoking’ – Irvine Welsh ‘Delightfully funny’ - Sunday Telegraph ‘On almost every page it offers matter for reflection’ – Scotsman ‘A natural of the transfixing phrase’ – Sunday Times ‘Fiercely evocative and witty with it’ – Literary Review ‘Inspiring and harshly funny’ – David Hughes ‘Brilliant’ – Ken Dunion ‘McIlvanney writes with appealing grace and thoughtfulness’ – Daily Telegraph ‘Telling observation and clear, perceptive writing’ – Spectator ‘Maturely reflective and insightful’ – Rosemary Goring ‘Hilarious, moving and incredibly articulate’ – Irish Times ‘Beguilingly brilliant’ Sunday Times |
William McIlvanney: Living with Words Known as the ‘Godfather of Tartan Noir’, William McIlvanney has enjoyed a career resurgence in recent years. Landmark novels like Laidlaw have returned to print and earned him a new generation of admirers whilst Docherty was recently voted one of the top ten Scottish novels of all time. Living with Words, produced by Gill Parry, offers an intimate portrait of McIlvanney in his own words and those of family and colleagues, including his brother, celebrated sports writer Hugh McIlvanney . A welcome profile of a writer whose passionate sense of Scotland and socialist ideals have made him inspirational. Connectfilm Ltd. Director: Maurice O’Brien Cast: William McIlvanney, Hugh McIlvanney, David Hayman, Ian Rankin Year: 2014 Running Time: 30m Country: UK |
| e-mail: neil.mcilvanney@personaldispatches.com |