Des Dillon is an internationally acclaimed award-winning writer. He was born in Coatbridge and studied English Literature at Strathclyde University before becoming a teacher. He was Writer-in-Residence at Castlemilk from 1998-2000. He is a poet, short story writer, novelist, dramatist, broadcaster, screen writer, and scriptwriter for TV, stage and radio. His books have been published in the USA, India, Russia, Sweden, in Catalan, French and Spanish. His poetry has been anthologised internationally. His latest award was The Lion and Unicorn prize for the best of Irish and British literature in the Russian Language (2007). Des lives in Galloway

Galloway

Galloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...

 with his wife and dogs.

His novel Me and Ma Gal (1995), chronicles a day in the lives of two best friends, Derek and Gal, set against the Coatbridge landscape of slagpits and steelworks, and was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award, was included in The 100 Greatest Ever Scottish Books and won the World Book Day ‘We Are What We Read’ poll for the novel that best describes Scotland today. In Six Black Candles (2002) (a novel originally written as a play for Birds of Paradise Theatre Company in 1999) the heroine Caroline, who has been deserted by her wayward husband Bobby, finds her sisters embarking on a ritualistic revenge, centred on the six black candles of the title. Des Dillon's play, Singin I'm No a Billy He's a Tim gained critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005 and toured Scotland and Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 in 2007. Monks (2006) was originally published as The Big Q (2001) and was adapted into play which enjoyed its world premiere in the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh in 2007. His most recent novel, My Epileptic Lurcher is the story of Manny Riley, a recovering alcoholic and struggling scriptwriter with a serious anger management problem, and his newly adopted lurcher, Bailey, who has epilepsy

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...

. The book is loosely based on Des Dillon's own life, and his lurcher

Lurcher

The lurcher is a type of dog originating in Ireland and parts of Great Britain. While not a pure breed, it is generally a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, usually a pastoral dog or terrier, dependent on the attributes desired by the breeder; originally stealth and cunning...

 (also called Bailey) who has epilepsy.

Published work

• Sniz Bloody Write, 1994
• Me and Ma Gal Argyll Publishing, 1995
• The Big Empty: A Collection of Short Stories, Argyll Publishing, 1997
• Duck Argyll Publishing, 1998
• Itchycooblue Headline Review, 1999
• Return of the Busby Babes Headline Review, 2000
• New Writing 10 (contributor) Picador in Association with the British Council, 2001
• The Big Q Headline Review, 2001
• Six Black Candles Headline, 2002
• Picking Brambles Luath Press, 2003
• The Glasgow Dragon Luath Press, 2004
• The Blue Hen Novella Sandstone Press, 2004
• Singin I'm No a Billy He's a Tim Luath Press, 2005
• They Scream When You Kill Them Luath Press, 2006
• Monks, Luath Press, 2007
• My Epileptic Lurcher, Luath Press, 2008

External links

• http://www.booksfromscotland.com/Authors/Des-Dillon
• http://www.argyllpublishing.com/
• http://www.luath.co.uk
• http://www.list.co.uk/article/2787-me-and-ma-gal-des-dillon-1995/
• http://www.headline.co.uk/