William Watson (writer)
Encyclopedia
William Watson was a Scottish
author, playwright and newspaper editor. He was initially Literary and then Features editor of the Scotsman
newspaper.
Born in Edinburgh he attended Edinburgh Academy
and then entered Edinburgh and Oxford universities but did not complete either course.
He commenced writing novels in 1969 with Better than One and then two historical novels entitled Beltran in Exile (1979) about the Crusaders and The Knight on the Bridge (1982) about the Cathars. These two latter books are generally regarded as his best works.
Between 1970 and 1972 he wrote three plays; Footstool for God, set in Rosslyn Chapel
,The Larch and Dodwell's Last Trump. He also co-wrote Sawney Bean with Robert Nye
in 1970.
He wrote five spy thrillers under the nom-de-plume of J K Mayo between 1986 and 1997 using a middle-aged, irritable, Gauloise-smoking ex-army Colonel named Harry Seddall as his hero for these popular books. An interesting aside is his apparent enjoyment of using little-known and obscure words to enhance his excellent descriptions of places and intelligent conversations throughout the books.
Alcohol addiction coupled with visions caused him to take occasional breaks from general society but he managed to remain teetotal during his writing phase. Unfortunately he eventually succumbed again to alcohol during the his final years.
He left a wife Catherine Robins.
1 Published under the pseudonym
of J.K. Mayo.
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,...
author, playwright and newspaper editor. He was initially Literary and then Features editor of the Scotsman
The 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....
newspaper.
Born in Edinburgh he attended Edinburgh Academy
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school which was opened in 1824. The original building, in Henderson Row on the northern fringe of the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland, is now part of the Senior School...
and then entered Edinburgh and Oxford universities but did not complete either course.
He commenced writing novels in 1969 with Better than One and then two historical novels entitled Beltran in Exile (1979) about the Crusaders and The Knight on the Bridge (1982) about the Cathars. These two latter books are generally regarded as his best works.
Between 1970 and 1972 he wrote three plays; Footstool for God, set in Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel
Rosslyn Chapel, properly named the Collegiate Chapel of St Matthew, was founded on a small hill above Roslin Glen as a Roman Catholic collegiate church in the mid-15th century...
,The Larch and Dodwell's Last Trump. He also co-wrote Sawney Bean with Robert Nye
Robert Nye
Robert Nye FRSL is an English poet who has also written novels and plays as well as stories for children. His bestselling novel Falstaff published in 1976 was described by Michael Ratcliffe as 'one of the most ambitious and seductive novels of the decade,' and went on to win both The Hawthornden...
in 1970.
He wrote five spy thrillers under the nom-de-plume of J K Mayo between 1986 and 1997 using a middle-aged, irritable, Gauloise-smoking ex-army Colonel named Harry Seddall as his hero for these popular books. An interesting aside is his apparent enjoyment of using little-known and obscure words to enhance his excellent descriptions of places and intelligent conversations throughout the books.
Alcohol addiction coupled with visions caused him to take occasional breaks from general society but he managed to remain teetotal during his writing phase. Unfortunately he eventually succumbed again to alcohol during the his final years.
He left a wife Catherine Robins.
Selected works
| Nr | Name | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Better than One | Novel | 1969 |
| 2. | Sawney Bean | Play | 1970 |
| 3. | A Footstool for God | Play | 1972 |
| 4. | Beltram in Exile | Historical novel | 1979 |
| 5. | The Knight on the Bridge | Historical novel | 1982 |
| 6. | The Hunting Season1 | Spy novel | 1986 |
| 7. | Wolf's Head1 | Spy novel | 1987 |
| 8. | Cry Havoc1 | Spy novel | 1990 |
| 9. | A Shred of Honour1 | Spy novel | 1993 |
| 10. | The Masterless Men1 | Spy novel | 1995 |
| 11. | The Interloper1 | Spy novel | 1997 |
1 Published under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of J.K. Mayo.