Margaret Elphinstone
Encyclopedia
Margaret Elphinstone is a Scottish
novelist.
in London and Durham University
. She was until recently, Professor of Writing in the Department of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde
in Glasgow, now retired. Her academic research areas are Scottish writers and the literature of Scotland's offshore islands.
She did extensive study tours in Iceland
, Greenland
, Labrador
and the United States. She lived for eight years in the Shetland Islands and is the mother of two children.
Before becoming professor in Glasgow in 2003, she worked at a variety of jobs in different locations. Some of her experiences were later used in her books:
for The Sea Road
for Hy Brasil
for Voyageurs
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
novelist.
Biography
Margaret Elphinstone was born in Kent. She studied at Queen's CollegeQueen's College, London
Queen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
in London and Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
. She was until recently, Professor of Writing in the Department of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde
University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, Scotland, is Glasgow's second university by age, founded in 1796, and receiving its Royal Charter in 1964 as the UK's first technological university...
in Glasgow, now retired. Her academic research areas are Scottish writers and the literature of Scotland's offshore islands.
She did extensive study tours in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
and the United States. She lived for eight years in the Shetland Islands and is the mother of two children.
Before becoming professor in Glasgow in 2003, she worked at a variety of jobs in different locations. Some of her experiences were later used in her books:
- Islanders is based on her participation in archaeological excavations on the Shetland island of Papa StourPapa StourPapa Stour is one of the Shetland Islands in Scotland, with a population of under twenty people, some of whom immigrated after an appeal for residents in the 1970s. Located to the west of mainland Shetland and with an area of 828 hectares , Papa Stour is the eighth largest island in Shetland...
. - Two garden books emerged after her work as a gardener in GallowayGallowayGalloway is an area in southwestern Scotland. It usually refers to the former counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire...
. - Voyageurs arose after a one-year stay at Central Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan UniversityCentral Michigan University is a public research university located in Mount Pleasant in the U.S. state of Michigan...
and canoeing adventures on the Ottawa RiverOttawa RiverThe Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
.
Prizes
- 1990 Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary
- 1991 Scottish Arts Council Travel Award
for The Sea Road
- 1993 Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary
- 1994 Scottish Arts Council Travel Award
- 2001 Scottish Arts Council Spring Book Award
for Hy Brasil
- 1997 Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary
for Voyageurs
- 2000 Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary
External links
- Website of Margaret Elphinstone
- Margaret Elphinstone in booksfromscotland.com
- Margaret Elphinstone in Contemporary Writers in the UK
- Science fiction (German)
- Scottish Arts Council
- Margaret Elphinstone: Stromaufwärts. List Verlag 2006, p. 2 below. 522 pp., ISBN 3-548-60636-9