Kevin MacNeil
Encyclopedia
Kevin MacNeil is a British novelist, poet and playwright born and raised in the Outer Hebrides
. His novels, A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll and Hyde (Polygon) and best-selling debut, The Stornoway Way (Penguin), were both published to widespread critical acclaim. MacNeil’s first book, Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides (Canongate), won the Tivoli Europa Giovani International Poetry Prize for best poetry collection published in Europe by a writer under 35. He is also the author of Be Wise Be Otherwise (Canongate) and The Callanish Stoned (Theatre Hebrides), and his short stories have been published extensively.
MacNeil’s latest play, Sweetness, an adaptation of a novel by Swedish author Torgny Lindgren
, toured early in 2011, and his anthology of poetry from the Scottish islands, These Islands, We Sing, was published by Polygon in June 2011.
He often collaborates with visual artists and musicians. In 2005, the William Campbell and Kevin MacNeil single Local Man Ruins Everything (Fantastic Plastic) was Single of the Week in The Guardian
, in The List and on Steve Lamacq's radio show. The duo’s album will be released in 2011.
MacNeil was the inaugural Iain Crichton Smith Bilingual Writing Fellow and has held further prestigious writing residencies in Sweden (Uppsala University), Bavaria (Villa Concordia) and a number of other places, including lecturing on the Creative Writing MSc at Edinburgh University.
He is also a keen cyclist, and in September 2009 cycled 1300 km of the Danube
, from source to Budapest
, on a single-speed fixed-gear track bike, for two cancer charities; the BBC
filmed a documentary about him and his bike ride which took just a dozen cycling days.
MacNeil currently lives in London.
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
. His novels, A Method Actor's Guide to Jekyll and Hyde (Polygon) and best-selling debut, The Stornoway Way (Penguin), were both published to widespread critical acclaim. MacNeil’s first book, Love and Zen in the Outer Hebrides (Canongate), won the Tivoli Europa Giovani International Poetry Prize for best poetry collection published in Europe by a writer under 35. He is also the author of Be Wise Be Otherwise (Canongate) and The Callanish Stoned (Theatre Hebrides), and his short stories have been published extensively.
MacNeil’s latest play, Sweetness, an adaptation of a novel by Swedish author Torgny Lindgren
Torgny Lindgren
Gustav Torgny Lindgren is a Swedish writer.Lindgren is the son of Andreas Lindgren and Helga Björk. He studied in Umeå to become a teacher and worked as a teacher until the middle of the 1970s. He was for several years active as a local politician for the Swedish Social Democratic Party...
, toured early in 2011, and his anthology of poetry from the Scottish islands, These Islands, We Sing, was published by Polygon in June 2011.
He often collaborates with visual artists and musicians. In 2005, the William Campbell and Kevin MacNeil single Local Man Ruins Everything (Fantastic Plastic) was Single of the Week in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, in The List and on Steve Lamacq's radio show. The duo’s album will be released in 2011.
MacNeil was the inaugural Iain Crichton Smith Bilingual Writing Fellow and has held further prestigious writing residencies in Sweden (Uppsala University), Bavaria (Villa Concordia) and a number of other places, including lecturing on the Creative Writing MSc at Edinburgh University.
He is also a keen cyclist, and in September 2009 cycled 1300 km of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, from source to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, on a single-speed fixed-gear track bike, for two cancer charities; the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
filmed a documentary about him and his bike ride which took just a dozen cycling days.
MacNeil currently lives in London.