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Lewis Grassic Gibbon

August 21, 2023

Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell[1] (13 February 1901 – 7 February 1935), a Scottish writer. He was best known for A Scots Quair, a trilogy set in the north-east of Scotland in the early 20th century, of which all three parts have been serialised on BBC television.

Lewis Grassic Gibbon
BornJames Leslie Mitchell
(1901-02-13)13 February 1901
Hillhead of Seggat, Auchterless, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died7 February 1935(1935-02-07) (aged 33)
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
Pen nameLewis Grassic Gibbon
OccupationNovelist
NationalityScottish
CitizenshipBritish
Period1928–1935
GenreGeneral fiction
SubjectScottish country life
Science fiction
Historical novels
Literary movement20th-century Scottish Renaissance
Notable worksThe trilogy A Scots Quair, in particular the first book Sunset Song
ChildrenRhea Martin
Website
www.grassicgibbon.com
Memorial to Lewis Grassic Gibbon in Arbuthnott kirkyard

Biography

Born in Auchterless and raised from the age of seven in Arbuthnott, in the former county of Kincardineshire,[2] Mitchell started working as a journalist for the Aberdeen Journal in 1917 and later for the Farmers Weekly after moving to Glasgow.[3] Gibbon grew up in Stonehaven, and attended Mackie Academy.[4] During that time he was active with the British Socialist Party.[5]

In 1919, Mitchell joined the Royal Army Service Corps and served in Iran, India and Egypt before enlisting in the Royal Air Force in 1920. In the RAF he worked as a clerk and spent some time in the Middle East.

When he married Rebecca Middleton (known as Ray) in 1925, they settled in Welwyn Garden City.[6] He began writing full time in 1929, producing numerous books and shorter works under his real name and his pseudonym. He suffered an early death in 1935 from peritonitis, brought on by a perforated ulcer.

Fiction

Mitchell gained attention from his earliest attempts at fiction, notably from H. G. Wells, but it was his trilogy entitled A Scots Quair, and in particular its first book Sunset Song, with which he made his mark. A Scots Quair, with its combination of stream-of-consciousness, lyrical use of dialect, and social realism, is considered to be among the defining works of the 20th century Scottish Renaissance. It tells the story of Chris Guthrie, a young woman growing up in the north-east of Scotland in the early 20th century. All three parts of the trilogy have been turned into serials by BBC Scotland, written by Bill Craig, with Vivien Heilbron as Chris. Additionally, Sunset Song has been adapted into a film, released in 2015.[7] Spartacus, a novel set in the famous slave revolt, is his best-known full-length work outside this trilogy.

In 1934 Mitchell collaborated with Hugh MacDiarmid on Scottish Scene, which included three of Gibbon's short stories. His stories were collected posthumously in A Scots Hairst (1969). Possibly his best-known is "Smeddum", a Scots word which could be best translated as the colloquial term "guts". Like A Scots Quair, it is set in north-east Scotland with strong female characters.[8] It was dramatised by Bill Craig and the BBC, as a Play for Today in 1976, along with two other short stories, "Clay" and "Greenden".[9] Also notable is his essay The Land.

Remembrance

The Grassic Gibbon Centre was established in Arbuthnott in 1991 to commemorate the author's life. There is a memorial to him and his wife, and other members of the Mitchell family, in the western corner of the village churchyard (parish church of Saint Ternan) of Arbuthnott, nowadays in Aberdeenshire.

In 2016 Sunset Song was voted Scotland's favourite novel in the BBC Love to Read campaign. A feature article on the novel has been written by Nicola Sturgeon, who edited a recent edition.[10]

Bibliography

Reviews

Glenda Norquay, "Echoes from The Mearns", reviewing The Speak of the Mearns, in Sheila G. Hearn, ed., Cencrastus No. 13, Summer 1983, pp. 54–55

References

  1. ^ Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 70.
  2. ^ McKean (1990), p. 71
  3. ^ "BBC Two - Writing Scotland - Lewis Grassic Gibbon". from the original on 14 July 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  4. ^ . www.stonehaven-heritage.org. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  5. ^ . www.marxists.org. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015.
  6. ^ Hadley, Tessa (8 August 2008). "Rereading: Life on the land". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  7. ^ Bonnar, Mark; Mullan, Peter; Deyn, Agyness; Guthrie, Kevin (4 December 2015), Sunset Song, from the original on 18 June 2018, retrieved 31 March 2017
  8. ^ "review of "Smeddum"". from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  9. ^ Play for Today website 30 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ New Statesman, 31 January 2020, pp. 42–44.

Further reading

  • Ian Campbell, Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1985)
  • Cairns Craig, Fearful Selves: Character, Community and the Scottish Imagination, in Cencrastus No. 4, Winter 1980–1881, pp. 29–32, ISSN 0264-0856
  • Douglas Gifford, In Search of the Scottish Renaissance: The Reprinting of Scottish Fiction, in Cencrastus No. 9, Summer 1982, pp. 26 – 30, ISSN 0264-0856
  • Douglas Gifford, Neil M. Gunn & Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd, 1983)
  • Scott Lyall, ed., The International Companion to Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Glasgow: Scottish Literature International, ASLS, 2015) ISBN 9781908980137
  • Scott Lyall, "J. Leslie Mitchell/Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Exploration", in Scottish Literary Review 4.1, Spring/Summer 2012, pp. 131–150
  • Scott Lyall, '"East is West and West is East": Lewis Grassic Gibbon's Quest for Ultimate Cosmopolitanism', in Gardiner et al. (eds), Scottish Literature and Postcolonial Literature (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2011), pp. 136–146
  • Scott Lyall, 'On Cosmopolitanism and Late Style: Lewis Grassic Gibbon and James Joyce', in Dymock and Palmer McCulloch (eds), Scottish and International Modernisms (Glasgow: ASLS, 2011), pp. 101–115
  • Margery Palmer McCulloch and Sarah Dunnigan (eds), A Flame in the Mearns (Glasgow: ASLS, 2003)
  • William K. Malcolm, A Blasphemer and Reformer: A Study of J. Leslie Mitchell/Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press, 1984)
  • Iain S. Munro, Leslie Mitchell: Lewis Grassic Gibbon, (Oliver and Boyd, 1966)
  • Douglas F. Young, Beyond the Sunset: A Study of James Leslie Mitchell (Lewis Grassic Gibbon) (Aberdeen: Impulse Publications, 1973)

External links

  • The Lewis Grassic Gibbon Website
  • Works by Lewis Grassic Gibbon at Faded Page (Canada)
  • The Grassic Gibbon Centre
  • Writing Scotland on Gibbon
  • Lewis Grassic Gibbon at IMDb

August 21, 2023
lewis, grassic, gibbon, pseudonym, james, leslie, mitchell, february, 1901, february, 1935, scottish, writer, best, known, scots, quair, trilogy, north, east, scotland, early, 20th, century, which, three, parts, have, been, serialised, television, bornjames, l. Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell 1 13 February 1901 7 February 1935 a Scottish writer He was best known for A Scots Quair a trilogy set in the north east of Scotland in the early 20th century of which all three parts have been serialised on BBC television Lewis Grassic GibbonBornJames Leslie Mitchell 1901 02 13 13 February 1901Hillhead of Seggat Auchterless Aberdeenshire ScotlandDied7 February 1935 1935 02 07 aged 33 Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire EnglandPen nameLewis Grassic GibbonOccupationNovelistNationalityScottishCitizenshipBritishPeriod1928 1935GenreGeneral fictionSubjectScottish country lifeScience fictionHistorical novelsLiterary movement20th century Scottish RenaissanceNotable worksThe trilogy A Scots Quair in particular the first book Sunset SongChildrenRhea MartinWebsitewww wbr grassicgibbon wbr comMemorial to Lewis Grassic Gibbon in Arbuthnott kirkyard Contents 1 Biography 2 Fiction 3 Remembrance 4 Bibliography 5 Reviews 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksBiography EditBorn in Auchterless and raised from the age of seven in Arbuthnott in the former county of Kincardineshire 2 Mitchell started working as a journalist for the Aberdeen Journal in 1917 and later for the Farmers Weekly after moving to Glasgow 3 Gibbon grew up in Stonehaven and attended Mackie Academy 4 During that time he was active with the British Socialist Party 5 In 1919 Mitchell joined the Royal Army Service Corps and served in Iran India and Egypt before enlisting in the Royal Air Force in 1920 In the RAF he worked as a clerk and spent some time in the Middle East When he married Rebecca Middleton known as Ray in 1925 they settled in Welwyn Garden City 6 He began writing full time in 1929 producing numerous books and shorter works under his real name and his pseudonym He suffered an early death in 1935 from peritonitis brought on by a perforated ulcer Fiction EditMitchell gained attention from his earliest attempts at fiction notably from H G Wells but it was his trilogy entitled A Scots Quair and in particular its first book Sunset Song with which he made his mark A Scots Quair with its combination of stream of consciousness lyrical use of dialect and social realism is considered to be among the defining works of the 20th century Scottish Renaissance It tells the story of Chris Guthrie a young woman growing up in the north east of Scotland in the early 20th century All three parts of the trilogy have been turned into serials by BBC Scotland written by Bill Craig with Vivien Heilbron as Chris Additionally Sunset Song has been adapted into a film released in 2015 7 Spartacus a novel set in the famous slave revolt is his best known full length work outside this trilogy In 1934 Mitchell collaborated with Hugh MacDiarmid on Scottish Scene which included three of Gibbon s short stories His stories were collected posthumously in A Scots Hairst 1969 Possibly his best known is Smeddum a Scots word which could be best translated as the colloquial term guts Like A Scots Quair it is set in north east Scotland with strong female characters 8 It was dramatised by Bill Craig and the BBC as a Play for Today in 1976 along with two other short stories Clay and Greenden 9 Also notable is his essay The Land Remembrance EditThe Grassic Gibbon Centre was established in Arbuthnott in 1991 to commemorate the author s life There is a memorial to him and his wife and other members of the Mitchell family in the western corner of the village churchyard parish church of Saint Ternan of Arbuthnott nowadays in Aberdeenshire In 2016 Sunset Song was voted Scotland s favourite novel in the BBC Love to Read campaign A feature article on the novel has been written by Nicola Sturgeon who edited a recent edition 10 Bibliography EditHanno or the Future of Exploration 1928 1 Stained Radiance A Fictionist s Prelude 1930 2 The Thirteenth Disciple 1931 3 The Calends of Cairo 1931 4 Three Go Back 1932 5 The Lost Trumpet 1932 6 Sunset Song 1932 the first book of the trilogy A Scots Quair 7 Persian Dawns Egyptian Nights 1932 8 Image and Superscription 1933 9 Cloud Howe 1933 the second book of the trilogy A Scots Quair 10 Spartacus 1933 11 Niger The Life of Mungo Park 1934 12 The Conquest of the Maya 1934 13 Gay Hunter 1934 14 Scottish Scene 1934 with Hugh MacDiarmid Grey Granite 1934 the third book of the trilogy A Scots Quair 15 Nine Against the Unknown 1934 16 The Speak of the Mearns 1982 published posthumouslyReviews EditGlenda Norquay Echoes from The Mearns reviewing The Speak of the Mearns in Sheila G Hearn ed Cencrastus No 13 Summer 1983 pp 54 55References Edit Joseph F Clarke 1977 Pseudonyms BCA p 70 McKean 1990 p 71sfnp error no target CITEREFMcKean1990 help BBC Two Writing Scotland Lewis Grassic Gibbon Archived from the original on 14 July 2021 Retrieved 4 February 2020 Lewis Grassic Gibbon Stonehaven Heritage Society www stonehaven heritage org Archived from the original on 4 October 2018 Retrieved 22 February 2018 Paul Foot Poet of the Granite City 2001 www marxists org Archived from the original on 2 October 2015 Hadley Tessa 8 August 2008 Rereading Life on the land The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Archived from the original on 14 April 2019 Retrieved 14 April 2019 Bonnar Mark Mullan Peter Deyn Agyness Guthrie Kevin 4 December 2015 Sunset Song archived from the original on 18 June 2018 retrieved 31 March 2017 review of Smeddum Archived from the original on 25 May 2012 Retrieved 8 March 2012 Play for Today website Archived 30 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine New Statesman 31 January 2020 pp 42 44 Further reading EditIan Campbell Lewis Grassic Gibbon Edinburgh Scottish Academic Press 1985 Cairns Craig Fearful Selves Character Community and the Scottish Imagination in Cencrastus No 4 Winter 1980 1881 pp 29 32 ISSN 0264 0856 Douglas Gifford In Search of the Scottish Renaissance The Reprinting of Scottish Fiction in Cencrastus No 9 Summer 1982 pp 26 30 ISSN 0264 0856 Douglas Gifford Neil M Gunn amp Lewis Grassic Gibbon Edinburgh Oliver amp Boyd 1983 Scott Lyall ed The International Companion to Lewis Grassic Gibbon Glasgow Scottish Literature International ASLS 2015 ISBN 9781908980137 Scott Lyall J Leslie Mitchell Lewis Grassic Gibbon and Exploration in Scottish Literary Review 4 1 Spring Summer 2012 pp 131 150 Scott Lyall East is West and West is East Lewis Grassic Gibbon s Quest for Ultimate Cosmopolitanism in Gardiner et al eds Scottish Literature and Postcolonial Literature Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press 2011 pp 136 146 Scott Lyall On Cosmopolitanism and Late Style Lewis Grassic Gibbon and James Joyce in Dymock and Palmer McCulloch eds Scottish and International Modernisms Glasgow ASLS 2011 pp 101 115 Margery Palmer McCulloch and Sarah Dunnigan eds A Flame in the Mearns Glasgow ASLS 2003 William K Malcolm A Blasphemer and Reformer A Study of J Leslie Mitchell Lewis Grassic Gibbon Aberdeen Aberdeen University Press 1984 Iain S Munro Leslie Mitchell Lewis Grassic Gibbon Oliver and Boyd 1966 Douglas F Young Beyond the Sunset A Study of James Leslie Mitchell Lewis Grassic Gibbon Aberdeen Impulse Publications 1973 External links EditThe Lewis Grassic Gibbon Website Works by Lewis Grassic Gibbon at Faded Page Canada The Grassic Gibbon Centre Writing Scotland on Gibbon Lewis Grassic Gibbon at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lewis Grassic Gibbon amp oldid 1165095991, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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