Marion Cleland Lochhead

Born19 April 1902
Wishaw, Lanarkshire
Died19 January 1985
Edinburgh
OccupationWriter and Social Historian
NationalityScottish
EducationUniversity of Glasgow

Marion Cleland Lochhead MBE (19 April 1902 - 19 January 1985) was a Scottish writer and social historian.[1] Her works span historiography and biography, poetry and fiction, children's writing, journalism, and broadcasting.[2]

Early life and career

Marion Lochhead was born 19 April 1902 in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, the daughter of Helen Watt and Alexander Lochhead, a draper and clothier.[1]

In 1923, she graduated in English Literature and Latin (MA) from the University of Glasgow.[1] Initially, Lochhead worked as a schoolteacher, turning to poetry and writing in the 1920s.[1][2] Lochhead said 'I began as a poet, with an increasing interest in biography and social and domestic history'.[3]

Her strong Christian beliefs are often reflected in her works.[1][2]

Literary associations

Lochhead is rarely associated with the Scottish Renaissance, though she was an active member of Edinburgh's literary scene in her younger years.[2]

In 1927, Lochhead co-founded the Scottish PEN (association of Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists and Novelists), along with writers including Hugh MacDiarmid and Helen B. Cruickshank.[4]

Journalism

From the 1930s, Lochhead was a key contributor to the Scottish press, publishing in titles including The Scotsman, Glasgow Herald, Scottish Home and Country, Scottish Field, Weekend Scotsman, Quarterly Review and Blackwood's Magazine.[2]

In her later life, she gave interviews on BBC Radio Scotland.[2]

Recognition

In 1955, Lochhead was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL).[1][2]

In 1963, she was awarded an MBE.[1][2]

Notable works

Poetry collections

  • Poems (1928).
  • Painted Things (1929).
  • Feast of Candlemas and Other Devotional Poems (1937).
  • Fiddler's Bidding (1939).

Novels

  • Anne Dalrymple (1934).
  • Cloaked in Scarlet (1935).
  • Adrian Was A Priest (1936).
  • Island Destiny (1936).
  • The Dancing Flower (1938).

Historical Texts

  • The Scots Household in the Eighteenth Century (1948).
  • The First Ten Years: Victorian Childhood (1956).
  • Young Victorians (1959).
  • The Victorian Household (1964).
  • Portrait of the Scott Country (1968).
  • Episcopal Scotland in the Nineteenth Century (1966).
  • The Renaissance of Wonder in Children's Literature (1977).

Biographies

  • John Gibson Lockhart (1954).
  • Elizabeth Rigley, Lady Eastlake (1961).

Children's Literature

  • On Tintock Tap (1946).
  • The Other Country: Legends and Fairytales of Scotland (1978).
  • Scottish Tales of Magic and Mystery (1978).
  • The Battle of the Birds: And Other Celtic Tales (1981).
  • Magic and Witchcraft of the Borders (1984).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ewan, Elizabeth L.; Innes, Sue; Reynolds, Sian; Pipes, Rose (27 June 2007). Biographical Dictionary of ScottishWomen. Edinburgh University Press. p. 208. ISBN 9780748626601.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "About Marion Lochhead". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. "Dictionary of Literary Biography Series - Gale - PRO-0000000371". www.cengage.com. 1981. p. 289. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  4. Crawford, Robert (30 January 2009). Scotland's Books: A History of Scottish Literature. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 570. ISBN 9780195386233.
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