Weekend

William McIlvanney was born in Kilmarnock, Scotland on November 25, 1936. He was educated at Kilmarnock Academy and Glasgow University. He worked as an English teacher and deputy headmaster before retiring in 1975 to become a full time author. His first novel, Remedy Is None, was published in 1966. His other novels included A Gift from Nessus, Laidlaw, The Papers of Tony Veitch, Strange Loyalties, and The Kiln. The Big Man was made into a film starring Liam Neeson. He won numerous awards including the Whitbread Prize for Docherty, the Crime Writers' Association's Silver Dagger, the Saltire Award, and the Glasgow Herald People's Prize. He was also a poet, journalist, and broadcaster. He died after a short illness on December 5, 2015 at the age of 79.