Linmill Stories

by Robert McLellan, J.K. Annand (Introduction)

Best known as the playwright of Jamie the Saxt and Jeddart Justice, Robert McLellan has been called the finest writer of Scots prose in our time. His Linmill stories were broadcast by the BBC, one of which, The Donegals was made into a film. But for the most part McLellan's prose work has appeared in magazines or anthologies without being fully collected in book form. Their popularity has endured and now all 24 of his tales are available in one volume.

Based on the author's youthful memories of his grandparents' fruit farm near Lanark, these finely observed stories give us a priceless insight into a generation now lost to us, and a timeless evocation of the world seen through the eyes of a young boy. There is honesty, compassion, harshness, and humor in these stories, and McLellan's quiet voice adds a unique wit and an unsentimental authenticity to the telling.

Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

About the author

Robert McLellan OBE was a Scottish dramatist, poet and writer of the Linmill Stories, working principally in Scots. His plays were generally popular comedies with exceptionally well-realised historical settings, including most notably Toom Byres, Jamie the Saxt, Torwatletie, The Flouers o Edinburgh and The Hypocrite. He also wrote works of dramatic verse such as The Carlin Moth. His Linmill cycle of short stories, collected posthumously in 1990, are amongst the most important examples of Twentieth Century prose in Scots.

Reviews

[Lewis McPake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of short stories of childhood in Clydeside. Makes me love Lanarkshire even more

[James Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so disappointed that I haven't gotten around to reading this sooner as these are a beautiful collection of short stories, told by the author of his early recollections of his grandparents fruit farm. I bought this as a pile of Cannongate classics but when I saw that this was written in Scots, I imagined it was going to be hard work, despite having been brought up speaking in Scots. However, one thing is speaking and the other is reading and the words just didn't seem familiar. However, when read phonetically, I instantly knew the word and meaning and after a few chapters, I was ploughing through the book. A decent background knowledge of rural life and early farming practices also proved to be an assistance. However, Irrespective of how much effort is involved, I would thoroughly recommend the book which is a wonderful collection of simple stories, beautifully told and which come together to provide a very clear image of how life was in this era.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories written entirely in Scots, fabulous! One can see that McLellan writes about his childhood and grandparents. The reminiscing is interesting as is the setting: a fruit farm. Glimpse into the past. Story-wise it's not that exciting but the Scots makes it feel alive. Interesting

[Alex Mulholland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best Scots language prose writing of the 20th century

[Alastair Fife · Rating 5 out of 5]

Braw read