Andrew Greig

For the Scottish rugby union player, see Andrew Greig (rugby union). For the Scottish goalkeeper, see Andy Greig.

Andrew Greig (born 23 September 1951) is a Scottish writer.

Biography

Greig was born in Bannockburn, near Stirling, and grew up there and in Anstruther, Fife.[1] He first wanted to be a singer-songwriter, travelling to London in search of a record deal and also supporting John Martyn whom he knew through one of his school teachers.[2] While still a teenager, having already started writing poetry, he shared some of his writing with the poet Norman MacCaig and travelled from Fife to meet him in Edinburgh.[3] MacCaig's influence on Greig's career would persist until his death in 1996 and beyond:

I'd never call myself an intimate friend of MacCaig, but he was a role model, a mentor. I liked him, he really mattered to me, and as the years went on after his death, I increasingly missed him and thought about him.[3]

After school, Greig took various temporary jobs while also writing.[2] He then studied philosophy at the University of Edinburgh from 1971, graduating with an MA in 1975.[4]

Greig is a former Glasgow University Writing Fellow and Scottish Arts Council Scottish/Canadian Exchange Fellow. He lives in Orkney and Edinburgh and is married to author Lesley Glaister.[5]

Writing career

In 1985, Greig published an account of the successful ascent of the Muztagh Tower in the Himalayas. Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber was shortlisted for the 1996 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.[6]

Awards and nominations

Year Title Award Category Result Ref.
1972 — Eric Gregory Award — Won [7]
1992 Electric Brae: A Modern Romance McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year — Shortlisted [8]
1996 Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature — Shortlisted [9]
The Return of John MacNab Romantic Novelists' Association Award — Shortlisted [8]
2004 In Another Light Scottish Book of the Year Award — Won [10]
2014 Fair Helen Walter Scott Prize — Shortlisted [11]
2022 Rose Nicolson — Shortlisted [12]

Published work

Poetry

  • Greig, Andrew; Czerkawska, Catherine (1973). White Boats. Edinburgh: Garret Arts.
  • —— (1977). Men on Ice. Edinburgh: Canongate Publishing. ISBN 0903937174.
  • —— (1982). Surviving Passages. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 0862410258.
  • Greig, Andrew; Jamie, Kathleen (1986). A Flame in your Heart. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe Books. ISBN 1852240172.
  • —— (1990). The Order of the Day. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 1852241020.
  • —— (1994). Western Swing. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 185224268X.
  • —— (2001). Into You. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 1852245557.
  • —— (2006). This Life, This Life: New & Selected Poems 1970 - 2006. Newcastle upon Tyne: Bloodaxe. ISBN 978-1852247133.
  • —— (2011). Getting Higher: The Complete Mountain Poems. Edinburgh: Polygon. ISBN 978-1846971921.

Non-Fiction

  • —— (1985). Summit Fever: The Story of an Armchair Climber. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 0091620600.
  • —— (1986). Kingdoms of Experience: Everest, the Unclimbed Ridge. London: Hutchinson. ISBN 009165890X.
  • —— (2006). Preferred Lies: A Journey to the Heart of Scottish Golf. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0297848356.
  • —— (2010). At the Loch of the Green Corrie. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1847249968.

Fiction

Articles

  • —— (November 1983), "A White Elephant in Anstruther", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 32

References

  1. ^ Rush, Christopher, "Elephants in Anstruther: In Search of the Scottish Identity", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 31, August 1983, pp. 43 - 48, ISSN 0140-0894
  2. ^ a b "Andrew Greig". Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Reeling in the years: Andrew Greig on Norman MacCaig". The Scotsman. 9 April 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  4. ^ Macdonald, Kirsty (18 November 2008). "Andrew Greig". The Literary Encyclopedia. London: The Literary Dictionary Company. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Lesley Glaister". www.umbrella2005.org.uk. Archived from the original on 26 October 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Winning books, shortlisted books and other entries". Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Eric Gregory Past Winners". Society of Authors. Archived from the original on 27 March 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Andrew Greig". Waterstone's. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  9. ^ "Winning books, shortlisted books and other entries". Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature. Archived from the original on 16 May 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Saltire Society Literary Awards - Winning Books". BooksFromScotland.com. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Walter Scott Prize Shortlist 2014". Walter Scott Prize. 4 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  12. ^ "Shortlist spotlight – Andrew Greig". The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2025.

Further reading

  • Rush, Christopher (August 1983), "Elephants in Anstruther: In Search of the Scottish Identity", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 31, pp. 43–48
  • Scott, Alexander (February 1984), "Pink Elephants in Anstruther: Scottish Identity", in Lindsay, Maurice (ed.), The Scottish Review: Arts and Environment 33, pp. 3–8
  • Corbett, John (2004), "The Stalking Cure: John Buchan, Andrew Greig and John Macnab", Scot Lit, vol. 30, Association for Scottish Literary Studies, ISSN 0957-5499
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