Des Dillon

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	Photo: © Des Dillon

Biography

Des Dillon was born in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1960, and read English at Strathclyde University. A former teacher, he now writes for television, stage and radio and has taught Creative Writing at the Arvon Foundation. He was Writer in Residence at Castlemilk, Glasgow, between 1998 and 2000, and now lives in Galloway.

His first book, Sniz, a collection of poetry, was published in 1994, and he is also the author of seven novels, including Me and Ma Gal (1995), which chronicles a day in the lives of two best friends, Derek and Gal, set against the Coatbridge landscape of slagpits and steelworks, and was shortlisted for the Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award; Duck (1998), in which the delusional hero, Mick Riley, attempts to escape his problems by running off to Blackpool with the babysitter Carmen; Itchycooblue (1999), a story of male friendship set in 1970s Scotland; and The Big Q (2001), in which three Lanarkshire construction workers head off to Italy to find work at a monastery. He is also the author of a volume of short stories, The Big Empty: A Collection of Short Stories (1997). In Six Black Candles (2002), the heroine Caroline, who has been deserted by her wayward husband Bobby, finds her sisters embarking on a ritualistic revenge, centred on the six black candles of the title. This novel was originally written as a play for Birds of Paradise Theatre Company in 1999.

In 1998, a short film of Duck was premiered at Edinburgh Film Festival and in 2003 his play Lockerbie 103 went on national tour.

Six Black Candles premeried at The Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in Spring 2004. It has since been translated and published in Russia, as has Glasgow Dragon (2004). Me and Ma Gal was voted the winner of the World Book Day survey to find the book that revealed the most about contemporary Scotland. It was broadcast as a drama on Radio 4 in 2004.

Monks (2006), a play about redemption, schizophrenics and St. Frances, received its world premiere in the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh in 2007. Singin' I'm No a Billy He's a Tim (2005) won critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2005 and has toured Scotland and Ireland since. It continues to be extremely popular with both audiences and critics.

Des Dillon's latest books are a collection of short stories, They Scream When You Kill Them (2007) and My Epileptic Lurcher (2008).

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Genres (in alphabetical order)

Drama, Fiction, Poetry, Radio drama, Screenplay, Short stories

Bibliography

Sniz   Bloody Write, 1994

Me and Ma Gal   Argyll Publishing, 1995

The Big Empty: A Collection of Short Stories   Argyll Publishing, 1997

Duck   Argyll Publishing, 1998

Itchycooblue   Review, 1999

Return of the Busby Babes   Review, 2000

New Writing 10   (contributor)   Picador in Association with the British Council, 2001

The Big Q   Review, 2001

Six Black Candles   Headline, 2002

Picking Brambles   Luath Press, 2003

Glasgow Dragon   Luath Press, 2004

The Blue Hen Novella   Sandstone Press, 2004

Singin I'm No a Billy He's a Tim   Luath Press, 2005

They Scream When You Kill Them   Luath Press, 2006

Monks   Luath Press, 2007

My Epileptic Lurcher   Luath Press, 2008

Read about books by Des Dillon at encompassculture.com - the British Council's book database and global online book club

Buy books by Des Dillon at Amazon.co.uk

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Prizes and awards

1995   Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award   (shortlist)   Me and Ma Gal

1997   Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary

2000   Creative Scotland Award   (shortlist)

2000   Television Arts Performance Showcase Writer of the Year Award   Six Black Candles

2001   International Festival of Playwriting Award   Six Black Candles

2001   Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary

2004   Creative Scotland Award   (shortlist)

2004   Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland (Best Ensemble Play)   Six Black Candles

2005   Creative Scotland Award   (shortlist)

2005   Scottish Arts Council Writer's Bursary

2007   Lion and Unicorn Award   (best of British and Irish Literature in the Russian language)

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Contact information

Publisher (General enquiries) Luath Press Ltd 543/2 Castlehill The Royal Mile Edinburgh  EH1 2ND Tel: +44 (0)131 225 4326 Fax: +44 (0)131 225 4324 E-mail: gavin.macdougall@luath.co.uk http://www.luath.co.uk

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Related links

http:/ / www.desdillon.com

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