Neil Munro
Neil Munro was a Scottish author and journalist born on June 3, 1863, in Inveraray, Scotland. He was raised by his mother, Ann, and grandmother, Anne McArthur Munro, which enriched his understanding of Gaelic culture and language. Munro began his career in journalism at the age of thirteen and eventually moved to Glasgow, where he worked for various newspapers, becoming the assistant editor of the Glasgow Evening News. As a writer, he is best known for his contributions to Scottish literature, particularly his novels that often explore the social changes in the Highlands. His debut novel, "John Splendid," published in 1898, is regarded as the first Highland novel. Munro's later works, such as "The New Road," reflect his engagement with historical themes and the complexities of Scottish identity. Beyond literature, he was recognized for his contributions with several honorary awards and degrees. Tragically, the death of his son during World War I deeply affected him, leading to a decline in his literary output until his passing on December 22, 1930.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Neil Munro
Author
- Born: June 3, 1863
- Birthplace: Inveraray, Argyll, Scotland
- Died: December 22, 1930
- Place of death: Craigendoran, Helensburgh, Scotland
Biography
Neil Munro was born in Inveraray, Scotland, on June 3, 1863. He was the illegitimate son of Ann Munro, a kitchen maid, and he and his mother lived with his grandmother, Anne McArthur Munro, in a small house in McVicar’s Land. Munro learned a great deal about Gaelic language and culture from these two women. He attended Inveraray School, and at age thirteen he was hired to work in the office of a local lawyer. In 1881 Munro moved to Glasgow to pursue a career in journalism, and following stints at the Greenock Advertiser and the Falkirk Herald he became assistant editor of the Glasgow Evening News. He married Jessie Adam, the daughter of his landlady.
Munro wrote extensively and contributed humorous stories to the London newspaper The Globe. In 1896 he published his first short story collection, The Lost Pibroch, and Other Sheiling Stories. His first novel, John Splendid, was published in 1898; it had originally been published in serial form in Blackwood’s Magazine. It is often cited as the first Highland novel; it is set in Inveraray at a time of tumultuous social change. He continued to write part time for the Glasgow Evening News, contributing two popular weekly columns. His second novel, Gilian the Dreamer, came out in 1899. Set in Inveraray at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, it tells the story of an imaginative Highland boy whose idealism and dreaminess prevent him from functioning effectively in society.
His next three novels,Doom Castle (1901), The Shoes of Fortune (1901), and Children of Tempest (1903), deal in varying degrees with the aftermath of the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Munro then decided to move away from historical romance. His 1907 novel The Daft Days deals with contemporary issues of Scottish culture and education, including the pervasive negativity in the Scottish educational system and the lack of support for the arts. The New Road, widely recognized as his most accomplished novel, was published in 1914. It marked Munro’s return to historical fiction. Set in 1733, it tells of the problems and the promise associated with the construction of a military road connecting the English-speaking south to the Gaelic north.
Munro returned to full-time journalism during World War I. He lost his son, Hugh, on the Western Front and was devastated; he published very little after this loss. Munro received the Freedom of Inveraray award and honorary doctorates from the University of Glasgow and the University of Edinburgh. He died in Craigendoran, Helensburgh, Scotland, on December 22, 1930. A collection of his poetry was published posthumously in 1931.