Butlin, Ron. (b. 1949).
L i f e
- born and educated in Edinburgh where he still resides
- Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh (1982 and 1985), Novelist in Residence at the University of St Andrews (1998-1999), now a freelance journalist for the Sunday Herald
W o r k
- poet, novelist, short story writer, librettist, playwright, and journalist
The Tilting Room (1983):
- his first collection of short stories
> won him the Scottish Arts Council Book Award
Ragtime in Unfamiliar Bars (1985):
- a poetry collection
> won him the Scottish Arts Council Book Award
The Sound of My Voice (1987):
- a novel concerned with a respectable executive with a house in the suburbs, nice wife, and children
- seemingly an embodiment of Thatcherite values x but: a chronic alcoholic whose life is about to disintegrate
Vivaldi and the Number 3 (2004):
- a collection of playful vignettes about great composers and philosophers
- uses unusual and entertaining angels, and the methods of magic realism and surrealism
- Vivaldi removes his creative block by God's gift of the number 3, Seneca tests the validity of stoicism by taking up residence in 21st century Edinburgh, etc.
Belonging (2006):
- a novel with a Scottish drifter character who spends his days sneaking into empty homes of the super-rich with his girlfriend and enjoying himself
- contrasts the unsettled man x his girlfriend who wants commitment
- uses discomforting settings of Paris and a Spain's hippie commune, and threads of terrorism and natural disasters
- follows the characters in their struggle to put down roots and finally to achieve a kind of "belonging"
Basics
(Photo: Serpent's Tail).
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Author
Ron Butlin (b. 1949). Scottish. -
Work
Journalist. Novelist and short story writer. Poet. Playwright and librettist. Author of Vivaldi and the Number 3 (2004). -
Genres
Modern fiction, poetry, and drama. Journalism.
Sources
"Ron Butlin". Contemporary Writers. The British Council. www.contemporarywriters.com
"Ron Butlin". Encompass Culture. The British Council. www.encompassculture.com
"Ron Butlin". Serpent's Tail - Independent Publishers. www.serpentstail.com
Quote
"It's been only two weeks since Vivaldi learned to walk upon water, a real time saver in Venice. But for a man who normally writes a concerto faster than anyone can copy it, he's been slow to master this new skill."
From "Vivaldi learns a new skill" in Vivaldi and the Number 3 (2004).