Margaret Elphinstone
Margaret Elphinstone (born 1948, Kent, England) is a Scottish novelist.
Biography
She studied at Queen's College in London and at Durham University and 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 were Scottish writers and the literature of Scotland's offshore islands. 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 Stour.
- Two garden books, The Holistic Gardener and Organic Gardening emerged after her work as a gardener in Galloway.
- Voyageurs arose after a one-year stay at Central Michigan University and canoeing adventures on the Ottawa River.
She has done extensive study tours around Iceland, Greenland, Labrador and the United States and lived for eight years in the Shetland Islands. She also is the mother of two children.
Bibliography
- 1985 "Spinning the Green", short story
- 1987 The Incomer (aka The Incomer or Clachanpluck), novel. ISBN 0704340704
- 1987 The Holistic Gardener (With J. Langley)
- 1989 A Sparrow's Flight, novel. ISBN 0748660259
- 1990 Organic Gardening
- 1990 Outside Eden
- 1991 An Apple from a tree, short stories. ISBN 0704342812
- 1994 Islanders, novel. ISBN 0748661786
- 2000 The Sea Road, novel, based on the life of Guðríðr Þorbjarnardóttir
- 2002 Hy Brasil, novel, based on the mythical island of Brasil.
- 2003 Voyageurs, novel.
- 2006 Light, novel. ISBN 978-1-84195-805-7
- 2009 The Gathering Night, novel. ISBN 9781847672889
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