Iain Crichton Smith

Moray Watson (University of Aberdeen)

Ed. by J. Derrick McClure, University of Aberdeen
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.3: Scottish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Gina Lyle (University of Glasgow), J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 1 Jan 1928
Died 15 Oct 1998
Activity 1958-1998

Places

Born in Scotland
Active in Scotland

Activities

Primary

Novelist
Poet

Resources

Smith's Works

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Iain Crichton Smith was born in Glasgow in 1928, the second of three sons of John and Christina Smith, both natives of the Hebridean island of Lewis. An important Scottish figure in the English literature of the twentieth century, Smith was also one of the most important writers in Gaelic throughout a long and prolific career. Best known for his 1968 novel

Consider the Lilies

, he wrote more than fifty books, several hundred poems and short stories, several stage plays, screenplays, and radio dramas, as well as translating from various languages into English and Gaelic, and publishing literary and cultural criticism. Smith grew up in the small village of Bayble in Lewis, which was also home to the Gaelic poets Derick Thomson (b.1921) and Anne Frater (b.1967). From there, he moved to…

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2888 words

Citation: Watson, Moray. "Iain Crichton Smith". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4117, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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