Andrew Greig | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1951-09-23) 23 September 1951 |
| Occupation |
|
| Nationality | British |
| Notable awards | Eric Gregory Award (1972) Scottish Book of the Year (2004) |
| Spouse | Lesley Glaister |
| Website | |
| andrew-greig.weebly.com | |
Andrew Greig (born 23 September 1951) is a Scottish poet and novelist whose work has been widely recognised. His work has spanned mountain climbing, the natural world, and historical fiction.
Biography
Greig was born in Bannockburn, near Stirling, and grew up there and in Anstruther, Fife.[1] He first wanted to be a singer-songwriter, travelling to London in search of a record deal and also supporting John Martyn whom he knew through one of his school teachers.[2] While still a teenager, having already started writing poetry, he shared some of his writing with the poet Norman MacCaig and travelled from Fife to meet him in Edinburgh.[3] MacCaig's influence on Greig's career would persist until his death in 1996 and beyond:
I'd never call myself an intimate friend of MacCaig, but he was a role model, a mentor. I liked him, he really mattered to me, and as the years went on after his death, I increasingly missed him and thought about him.[3]
After school, Greig took various temporary jobs while also writing.[2] He then studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh from 1971, graduating with an MA in 1975.[4] After university he worked for a short time in advertising before deciding to concentrate on writing poetry.[2]
Greig's writing led him to take up mountain climbing, but in 1987 he contracted ME/CFS, which brought that to an end. He continued writing during his illness and was recovered by 1997,[2] but in 1999 he was afflicted by a colloid cyst, from which he almost died.[3]
Greig is a former Glasgow University Writing Fellow and Scottish Arts Council Scottish/Canadian Exchange Fellow[citation needed]. He lives in Orkney and Edinburgh and has been married to author Lesley Glaister since 2000.[5][2]
Writing career
Greig published his first book of poetry, White Boats, jointly with Catherine Czerkawska in 1973, while he was still a student. He had been awarded the Eric Gregory Award in the previous year.[4] His next volume, Men on Ice, was published in 1977. That marked Greig's first reference to mountain climbing, although he had not then actually climbed a mountain.[2]
In 1985, Greig published an account of the successful ascent of the Muztagh Tower in the Himalayas. Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber was shortlisted for the 1996 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.[6]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Title | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | — | Eric Gregory Award | — | Won | [7] |
| 1992 | Electric Brae: A Modern Romance | McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year | — | Shortlisted | [8] |
| 1996 | Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber | Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature | — | Shortlisted | [9] |
| The Return of John MacNab | Romantic Novelists' Association Award | — | Shortlisted | [8] | |
| 2004 | In Another Light | Scottish Book of the Year Award | — | Won | [10] |
| 2014 | Fair Helen | Walter Scott Prize | — | Shortlisted | [11] |
| 2022 | Rose Nicolson | — | Shortlisted | [12] |
Published work
Poetry
- Greig, Andrew; Czerkawska, Catherine (1973). White Boats. Edinburgh: Garret Arts.
- —— (1977). Men on Ice. Edinburgh: Canongate Publishing. ISBN 0903937174.
- —— (1982). Surviving Passages. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 0862410258.
- Greig, Andrew; Jamie, Kathleen (1986). A Flame in your Heart. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books. ISBN 1852240172.
- —— (1990). The Order of the Day. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 1852241020.
- —— (1994). Western Swing. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 185224268X.
- —— (2001). Into You. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 1852245557.
- —— (2006). This Life, This Life: New & Selected Poems 1970 - 2006. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 978-1852247133.
- —— (2011). Getting Higher: The Complete Mountain Poems. Edinburgh: Polygon. ISBN 978-1846971921.
- —— (2011). As Though We Were Flying. Tarset: Bloodaxe. ISBN 978-1852249168.
- —— (2013). Found at Sea. Edinburgh: Polygon. ISBN 9781846972690.
- Butlin, Ron; Greig, Andrew; Lochhead, Liz; McCabe, Brian (2020). Horns & Wings & Stabiliser Things: The Lost Poets. Edinburgh: Polygon. ISBN 978-1846975554.
Non-fiction and memoir
- —— (1985). Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 0091620600.
- —— (1986). Kingdoms of Experience: Everest, the Unclimbed Ridge. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 009165890X.
- —— (2006). Preferred Lies: A Journey to the Heart of Scottish Golf. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0297848356.
- —— (2010). At the Loch of the Green Corrie. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1847249968.
- Heron, Mike; Greig, Andrew (2017). You Know What You Could Be: Tuning into the 1960s. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1784293000.
Fiction
- —— (1992). Electric Brae: A Modern Romance. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 0862414040.
- —— (1996). The Return of John MacNab. London: Headline Review. ISBN 0747217041.
- —— (1999). When They Lay Bare. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 057119687X.
- —— (2000). That Summer. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571204236. (Published in some markets as The Clouds Above: A Novel of Love and War.)
- —— (2004). In Another Light. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 029784878X.
- —— (2008). Romanno Bridge. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1847243157.
- —— (2013). Fair Helen. London: Quercus. ISBN 9780857381910.
- —— (2021). Rose Nicolson. London: Quercus. ISBN 9781784292980.
Articles
- —— (November 1983), "A White Elephant in Anstruther", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 32
References
- ^ Rush, Christopher, "Elephants in Anstruther: In Search of the Scottish Identity", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 31, August 1983, pp. 43 - 48, ISSN 0140-0894
- ^ a b c d e f "Andrew Greig". Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "Reeling in the years: Andrew Greig on Norman MacCaig". The Scotsman. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ^ a b Macdonald, Kirsty (18 November 2008). "Andrew Greig". The Literary Encyclopedia. London: The Literary Dictionary Company. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
- ^ "Lesley Glaister". www.umbrella2005.org.uk. Archived from the original on 26 October 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Winning books, shortlisted books and other entries". Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ "Eric Gregory Past Winners". Society of Authors. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Andrew Greig". Waterstone's. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ "Winning books, shortlisted books and other entries". Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ "Saltire Society Literary Awards - Winning Books". BooksFromScotland.com. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ "Walter Scott Prize Shortlist 2014". Walter Scott Prize. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
- ^ "Shortlist spotlight – Andrew Greig". The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
External links
- Andrew Greig's website
- BAC entry
- Interview with Andrew Greig (2 Dec 2010)
Further reading
- Rush, Christopher (August 1983), "Elephants in Anstruther: In Search of the Scottish Identity", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 31, pp. 43–48
- Scott, Alexander (February 1984), "Pink Elephants in Anstruther: Scottish Identity", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 33, pp. 3–8
- Corbett, John (2004), "The Stalking Cure: John Buchan, Andrew Greig and John Macnab", Scot Lit, vol. 30, Association for Scottish Literary Studies, ISSN 0957-5499
