Allan Massie

Although he was born in in Singapore in 1938, writer Allan Massie was educated and raised in Aberdeenshire. After attending Glenalmond College in Highland Perthshire he read history at Trinity College, Cambridge. As a novelist, Massie has written around 20 novels, including a range of biographical novels of leading historical figures. He has also written a number of non-fiction on rugby, history, and literary criticism.

Has has been nominated for a Saltire Award several times, and won in 1986 for his novel A Question of Loyalties. He has been a judge for the Booker Prize. As a journalist, Massie has written for The Scotsman, The Sunday Times and the Scottish Daily Mail, and magazines such as The Spectator. He also writes on sporting matters, especially rugby and cricket.

Allan Massie is married and now lives in Selkirk. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Strathclyde in 2008. His most recent non-fiction book is The Royal Stuarts.