How William McIlvanney led the way for future Scottish crime authors

AT this year's Bloody Scotland, the Scottish Crime Book of the Year has been renamed The McIlvanney Prize. Over the next week, we meet the longlisted authors who tell us how the Godfather of Tartan Noir inspired them.

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Scotland Now

Jane Hamilton

10:23, 1 AUG 2016
Updated11:58, 1 AUG 2016

Legendary Scots authour William McIlvanney

THE big man might have been embarrassed by it all but it seems fitting that this year’s Bloody Scotland is dedicated to one of the greatest, the wonderful William “Willie” McIlvanney.

Willie started the Tartan Noir revolution and long before Rebus or even Taggart, he was setting the agenda for Scottish crime fiction and inspiring a generation of writers.

Labelled as the “Godfather of tartan noir”, Willie died last December following a short illness, aged 79, and Scotland lost one of its literary greats.

His acclaimed trilogy of Laidlaw books remain three of Scotland’s finest detective novels.

Latterly he had been enjoying a resurgence in his career and his work was becoming known to a new generation of readers.

In recognition of his contribution to crime fiction, the annual Scottish Crime Book of the Year has been renamed The McIlvanney Prize.

One of my literary heroes, I was fortunate enough to have worked with him for a brief time in the early 1990s when we were thrown together on a TV programme for Channel 4 about the ballet dancer Nijinsky.

Willie claimed he was doing it as a favour for the director but he did love movies and during two days of filming kept cast and crew, myself included, entertained by ad-libbing in French.

Compassionate, intelligent, full of wisecracks and with his Clark Gable movie-star looks, Willie was as captivating as any character he created in his books.

After we finished filming, we kept in touch and many years later at a reunion at a book festival, he told me he’d kept an eye out for my byline in the papers and was delighted I’d pursued one of my dreams to write about crime.

In typical bemused fashion he brushed off my remark that he inspired me into a “life of crime” but the twinkle in his eye and his smile told me he was tickled pink by the compliment.

Fellow crime novelist Lin Anderson, one of the creators of the Bloody Scotland festival, said: “He is, was and always will be the heart of Bloody Scotland. Willie was a hero of mine way before I became a writer. I still have my original Laidlaw book.

This year's McIlvanney Prize longlist nominees.

“When Alex Gray and I came up with the idea for Bloody Scotland, we were determined to give Willie his rightful place at its heart.

“He was truly overwhelmed to realise the extent of his fan club. He said it was like a pension, he didn’t know he would get.

“When I asked him to sign my new copy of Laidlaw, he inscribed it: ‘To Lin, thank you for making me feel better about myself.’ He is missed enormously.”

Ian Rankin, who has said Laidlaw was the inspiration for his Rebus novels, said: “I first met William McIlvanney around the time I was writing my first Rebus novel.

“I told him I’d been influenced by his own crime stories and he was very encouraging.

“A few years down the line we shared a stage, and we last met at Bloody Scotland in Stirling, where the sun shone and there was a sparkle in his eyes.

“He was and is a great novelist, portraying Scotland warts and all but with real empathy and a depth of humanity. Modest to the end, he’d be bemused to see his name on a prize, but it’s a huge honour for me to be on the list in its inaugural year.”

Long-list nominee Stuart MacBride said he would always remember Willie as a “lovely warm guy who inspired many writers”.

James Oswald said he wishes he had managed to meet Willie and talk about books. He said: “He started the whole thing. I really wanted to talk to him about Scottish literary fiction and never got the chance.”

Val McDermid, who had many fond memories of Willie, said she will never forget reading Laidlaw in the 70s.

She said: “Willie gave us something different in Laidlaw. I remember feeling shocked and had never read anything like it.

“Willie, himself, was generous, clever and charming.

“He opened the door to crime fiction for people like me and Ian Rankin and I don’t think I’d be where I am today but for his contribution to crime fiction.”