Allan Massie
Encyclopedia
Allan Massie is a well-known Scottish
journalist
, sports writer and novelist.
, where his father was a rubber planter for Sime Darby
, Massie spent his childhood in Aberdeenshire
. He was educated at the expensive fee-paying private schools Drumtochty Castle
preparatory school and Glenalmond College
in Perthshire
before going on to attend Trinity College
, Cambridge
where he read history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
. He has lived in the Scottish Borders
for the last 25 years, and now lives in Selkirk. He has just published The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain.
, The Sunday Times
(Scotland) and the Scottish Daily Mail
. He has been The Scotsman's chief fiction reviewer for a quarter of a century and also regularly writes about rugby union
and cricket
for that paper. He has previously been a columnist for the Daily Telegraph, the Glasgow Herald, and was the Sunday Standard's television critic during that paper's brief existence. He is also a contributor to The Spectator
- where he writes a weekly column, Life and Letters - the Literary Review
and The Independent
. He has also written for the New York Review of Books.
He is well known for advocating a Tory viewpoint, though this has been a losing battle given the decline of Conservative
influence in Scotland (it is currently the third party). He was a leading, if lonely, campaigner against Scottish devolution
and a critic of much of the legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament
since it came into existence after the 1997 general election. His political views on devolution changed during the Thatcher
years and he came to regret his support for the 1979 devolution referendum.
In his literary reviews, his preferences lie towards traditional novels rather than the avant-garde. He is a great admirer of Sir Walter Scott (and a past president of the Sir Walter Scott Club). Among contemporary novelists, he is a champion of the Russian writer Andreï Makine
and Scotland's William McIlvanney
. Though he has criticised Irvine Welsh
and James Kelman
, he has admired some of the latter's work, arguing that Kelman is an important voice for a section of society often ignored in literary fiction.
political figures, including Augustus
, Tiberius
, Mark Antony
, Caesar
, Caligula
and Nero
's Heirs. Gore Vidal
has called him a "master of the long-ago historical novel." His most recent book is The Thistle and the Rose, a series of essays on the often thorny relationship between Scotland and England, in which he takes a strong Unionist viewpoint.
His 1986 novel about Vichy France
, A Question of Loyalties won the Saltire Society
for being the best Scottish Book of the Year - an award he has been shortlisted for more than once. The Sins of the Fathers (1991) caused a controversy when Nicholas Mosley resigned from the judging panel for the Booker Prize, protesting that none of his books (of which Massie's was the favourite) made it on to the shortlist (Martin Amis
' Time's Arrow edged out Massie's novel for the final spot on the six book list).
Those two novels, and Shadows of Empire constitute a loose trilogy in which a constant concern is the potential danger of idealism and ideology
, as well as the struggle to lead a decent personal life in indecent political times.
In 2009, Massie brought out what he calls "a private novel" (i.e. an examination of private morality rather than the large political or "public" dilemmas examined in his other contemporary novels). This innovative work, Surviving, is set in Rome and concerns a group of English-speaking alcoholics and the intensity of their friendships. It is also a highly personal work, reflecting the author's own experience of Italy in the seventies, although the book is set in the nineties.
His 2010 novel, Death in Bordeaux, sees Massie return to Vichy France in the first of a trilogy.
Other works include critical studies of Muriel Spark
and Colette
as well as histories of Edinburgh and Glasgow and A Portrait of Scottish Rugby
.
Firstly, he excludes any players from before 1951, as he says it is unfair to judge the abilities of players without having been able to see them for himself, and secondly, his list, being published in the mid 80s excludes most of the people involved in the 1990 Grand Slam.
He also supplies a list of reserves:
Players that Massie includes in his early selection, but not in the final team include:
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, sports writer and novelist.
Early life
Born in 1938 in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, where his father was a rubber planter for Sime Darby
Sime Darby
Sime Darby is Malaysia's leading multinational conglomerate involved in five core sectors: plantations, property, industrial, motors and energy & utilities, with a growing presence in healthcare...
, Massie spent his childhood in Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
. He was educated at the expensive fee-paying private schools Drumtochty Castle
Drumtochty Castle
Drumtochty Castle is a neo-gothic style castellated mansion erected in the year 1812 approximately three kilometres northwest of Auchenblae, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. This castle stands on the southern edge of Drumtochty Forest...
preparatory school and Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...
in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
before going on to attend Trinity College
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
where he read history. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury...
. He has lived in the Scottish Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
for the last 25 years, and now lives in Selkirk. He has just published The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain.
Journalist
Massie is one of Scotland's most prolific and well-known journalists, writing regular columns for The ScotsmanThe Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
(Scotland) and the Scottish Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
. He has been The Scotsman's chief fiction reviewer for a quarter of a century and also regularly writes about rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for that paper. He has previously been a columnist for the Daily Telegraph, the Glasgow Herald, and was the Sunday Standard's television critic during that paper's brief existence. He is also a contributor to The Spectator
The Spectator
The Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
- where he writes a weekly column, Life and Letters - the Literary Review
Literary Review
Literary Review is a British literary magazine founded in 1979 by Anne Smith, then head of the Department of English at Edinburgh University. Its offices are currently on Lexington Street in Soho, London, and it has a circulation of 44,750. Britain's principal literary monthly, the magazine was...
and The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
. He has also written for the New York Review of Books.
He is well known for advocating a Tory viewpoint, though this has been a losing battle given the decline of Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
influence in Scotland (it is currently the third party). He was a leading, if lonely, campaigner against Scottish devolution
Scotland referendum, 1979
The Scottish referendum of 1979 was a post-legislative referendum to decide whether there was sufficient support for the Scotland Act 1978 among the Scottish electorate. This was an act to create a devolved deliberative assembly for Scotland...
and a critic of much of the legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
since it came into existence after the 1997 general election. His political views on devolution changed during the Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
years and he came to regret his support for the 1979 devolution referendum.
In his literary reviews, his preferences lie towards traditional novels rather than the avant-garde. He is a great admirer of Sir Walter Scott (and a past president of the Sir Walter Scott Club). Among contemporary novelists, he is a champion of the Russian writer Andreï Makine
Andreï Makine
Andreï Makine is a Russian-born French author. He also publishes under the pseudonym Gabriel Osmonde. Makine's novels include Dreams of My Russian Summers which won two top French awards, the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Médicis.-Biography:Andreï Makine was born in Krasnoyarsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet...
and Scotland's William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney
William McIlvanney is a writer of crime stories, novels, and poetry. McIlvanney is a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works Laidlaw, The Papers of Tony Veitch, and Walking Wounded are all known for their portrayal of Glasgow in the 1970s.- Life and career :McIlvanney was born in the...
. Though he has criticised Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh
Irvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
and James Kelman
James Kelman
James Kelman is an influential writer of novels, short stories, plays and political essays. His novel A Disaffection was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction in 1989...
, he has admired some of the latter's work, arguing that Kelman is an important voice for a section of society often ignored in literary fiction.
Novelist
He is the author of nearly 30 books, including 20 novels. He is notable for writing about the distant past, and the middle class, rather than grittier elements of the present. The most successful of his novels, at least in terms of sales, have been a series of reconstructed autobiographies or biographies of RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
political figures, including Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
, Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
, Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
, Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
and Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
's Heirs. Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
has called him a "master of the long-ago historical novel." His most recent book is The Thistle and the Rose, a series of essays on the often thorny relationship between Scotland and England, in which he takes a strong Unionist viewpoint.
His 1986 novel about Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, A Question of Loyalties won the Saltire Society
Saltire Society
The Saltire Society was established in 1936 to encourage everything that might improve the quality of life in Scotland and restore the country to its proper place as a creative force in European civilisation....
for being the best Scottish Book of the Year - an award he has been shortlisted for more than once. The Sins of the Fathers (1991) caused a controversy when Nicholas Mosley resigned from the judging panel for the Booker Prize, protesting that none of his books (of which Massie's was the favourite) made it on to the shortlist (Martin Amis
Martin Amis
Martin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...
' Time's Arrow edged out Massie's novel for the final spot on the six book list).
Those two novels, and Shadows of Empire constitute a loose trilogy in which a constant concern is the potential danger of idealism and ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
, as well as the struggle to lead a decent personal life in indecent political times.
In 2009, Massie brought out what he calls "a private novel" (i.e. an examination of private morality rather than the large political or "public" dilemmas examined in his other contemporary novels). This innovative work, Surviving, is set in Rome and concerns a group of English-speaking alcoholics and the intensity of their friendships. It is also a highly personal work, reflecting the author's own experience of Italy in the seventies, although the book is set in the nineties.
His 2010 novel, Death in Bordeaux, sees Massie return to Vichy France in the first of a trilogy.
Other works include critical studies of Muriel Spark
Muriel Spark
Dame Muriel Spark, DBE was an award-winning Scottish novelist. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Early life:...
and Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
as well as histories of Edinburgh and Glasgow and A Portrait of Scottish Rugby
Scottish Rugby Union
The Scottish Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. It is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873, as the Scottish Football Union.-History:...
.
Massie's all time Scotland XV
Allan Massie is a keen rugby fan and writer, and came up with an all time XV in 1984.Firstly, he excludes any players from before 1951, as he says it is unfair to judge the abilities of players without having been able to see them for himself, and secondly, his list, being published in the mid 80s excludes most of the people involved in the 1990 Grand Slam.
- Backline: Andy Irvine, Arthur SmithArthur SmithArthur Smith may refer to:*Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith , American guitar player and composer*Arthur Donaldson Smith, American explorer of Africa*Arthur Henderson Smith , American missionary in China, author of books on Chinese culture...
, Jim RenwickJim RenwickJim Renwick was one of Scotland's greatest rugby players, usually at centre. He played for Hawick Harlequins RFC and the full Hawick RFC team, and the British Lions, 1972–84. He earned 52 caps for his country. Allan Massie thinks his 1981-82 international season was his best, and describes...
, Ken ScotlandKen ScotlandKenneth "Ken" J.F. Scotland was a Scottish rugby union player. He played for Scotland a number of times between 1957 and 1965, and for the British Lions on their 1959 tour of New Zealand; he was a full-back...
, Roger BairdRoger BairdGavin Roger Todd Baird was a Scottish rugby union player, who won 27 caps playing on the wing for between 1981 and 1988....
; - Half backs John Rutherford, Roy LaidlawRoy LaidlawRoy James Laidlaw is a Scottish rugby union footballer. Laidlaw was capped 47 times, as a scrum half, for Scotland between 1980–1988, and British Lions in New Zealand in 1983....
; - Forwards: Hugh McLeodHugh McLeodHugh McLeod was a Scottish-born lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada. He represented Cape Breton in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1879 as a Liberal-Conservative member....
, Colin DeansColin DeansColin Thomas Deans born on 3 May 1955 in Hawick in the Scottish borders was a rugby union player with Hawick RFC and . His nickname was the Hawick Hooker.He made his debut against in 1978 when Scotland lost, 16 - 19...
, Sandy CarmichaelSandy CarmichaelAlexander Bennett Carmichael was a tighthead prop forward who played for West of Scotland R.F.C. and earned 50 caps in the Scotland national rugby union team from 1967 to 1978, which was a record for a Scottish forward at the time...
, Gordon Brown, Alastair McHargAlastair McHargAlastair McHarg was a lock for the Scotland national rugby union team, 1968-79. He won 44 caps for Scotland...
, Douglas ElliotDouglas ElliotDouglas Elliot also known as W.I.D. Elliot and Doug Elliot is a former Scottish international rugby union player, who played for . He was capped 29 times for Scotland between 1947-54...
, Jim TelferJim TelferJames "Jim" Telfer is a Scottish rugby union coach and a former rugby player. A former headmaster at Hawick High School and chemistry teacher, he has won fame as a Scottish forwards coach who gave punishing training sessions to his players...
(captain), David LeslieDavid Leslie (rugby union)David Leslie is a former Scottish rugby union player. He played for Scotland 32 times between 1975 and 1985. He usually played at number eight, but occasionally at flanker....
He also supplies a list of reserves:
- Jock TurnerJock TurnerJohn "Jock" William Cleet Turner is a former international rugby union player.He was capped twenty times for Scotland between 1966 and 1971, winnings six caps at fly-half, thirteen as a centre and one at fullback...
, David ChisholmDavid ChisholmDavid Chisholm was a Scottish international rugby union player.He was capped for fourteen times between 1964-68. He also played for Melrose RFC...
, Alex HastieAlex HastieAlexander James Hastie, also known as Alex Hastie or Eck Hastie was a Scottish rugby union player. who played at scrum-half and was commonly linked with David Chisholm:...
, David RolloDavid Rollo (rugby union)David Miller Durie Rollo was a prop forward who played for . Unusually for a Scotland internationalist, he came from Fife.As a prop, he could play both tight and loosehead:...
, Norman Bruce, Iain PaxtonIain PaxtonIain Angus McLeod Paxton is a Scottish rugby union player who won 36 caps at number eight and lock between 1981 and 1988, scoring a total of five tries. He made his debut against New Zealand All Blacks on the 1981 tour and later that year he helped Scotland to a memorable 24-15 win over Australia...
Players that Massie includes in his early selection, but not in the final team include:
- Ian Laughland, Chris Rea, Ian McGeechanIan McGeechanSir Ian Robert McGeechan OBE is a Scottish former rugby union player and coach. His nickname is "Geech".-Playing career:...
, Robertson, David Johnston; Aitken, Milne, Bruce, Laidlaw, Mike Campbell-LamertonMike Campbell-LamertonColonel Michael John "Mike" Campbell-Lamerton was a British army officer and rugby union figure. Despite being a career soldier on active service, he would captain the Scotland rugby team a number of times....
, Peter Brown, Tomes, Cuthbertson, Jim Greenwood, Ron GlasgowRon GlasgowRonald "Ron" Glasgow was a Scottish rugby union player.He was capped ten times between 1962-65 for . He also played for Dunfermline RFC, and Gordonians RFC.Allan Massie considers that:...
, Derek GrantDerek GrantDerek Grant is the drummer for punk band Alkaline Trio, where he replaced Mike Felumlee. He was previously a member of The Suicide Machines, Telegraph, Gyga, Thoughts of Ionesco, Remainder, Walls of Jericho, The Exceptions and Broken Spoke, a side band with Royce Nunley and Jay Navarro...
, Rodger ArneilRodger ArneilRodger Arniel is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He was played on two British and Irish Lions tours - to South Africa in 1968 and New Zealand in 1971, the second tour as a replacement...
, Calder.
Novels, in order of publication
- Change and Decay in All Around I See
- The Last Peacock
- The Death of Men
- One Night in Winter
- Augustus
- A Question of Loyalties
- Tiberius
- The Hanging Tree
- The Sins of the Father
- Caesar
- The Ragged Lion
- These Enchanted Woods (sequel to The Last Peacock)
- King David
- Shadows of Empire
- Antony
- Nero's Heirs
- The Evening of the World
- Arthur the King
- Caligula
- Charlemagne and Roland
- Surviving
- Death in Bordeaux
Non-Fiction
- Colette
- Byron's Travels
- How Should Health Services be Financed? : A Patient’s View
- Glasgow: Portraits of a City
- The Novel Today : A Critical Guide to the British Novel, 1970-1989
- Edinburgh
- The Thistle and the Rose : Six Centuries of Love and Hate Between the Scots and the English
- A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0-904919-84-6)
- The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family That Shaped Britain