William McIlvanney

William Angus McIlvanney (1936-2015) was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet born in Kilmarnock, the youngest of four children of a former miner. He studied English at the University of Glasgow before becoming an English teacher and assistant headmaster, resigning in 1975 to write full-time; his works, including the Whitbread-winning Docherty (1975) and the pioneering Laidlaw crime novels, are celebrated for their gritty portrayal of Glasgow and working-class life.