Frederic Lindsay
Encyclopedia
Frederic Lindsay is a Scottish
crime writer, born in Glasgow
and living in Edinburgh
. He has been a full-time writer since 1979 and previously worked as a lecturer, teacher and library assistant. He has been active in a number of literary organisations including the Society of Authors, International PEN
(a worldwide writers' association promoting freedom of expression) and the Scottish Arts Council
. In addition to novels he also writes for TV, radio and the theatre. Two of his novels have been made into films.
Lindsay has written seven novels over the course of ten years featuring Detective Inspector Jim Meldrum, an officer with Lothian and Borders Police
, as their main protagonist. He was originally intended as a one-off study into the fate of a whistleblower
and the personal cost of integrity. But Lindsay's publishers at the time, Hodder and Stoughton, commissioned further works and so the series was born.
The Meldrum books are classic police procedurals, dark in tone, which sometimes exploit the convention of having the identity of the perpetrator known to the reader before it becomes clear to the detectives. They feature considerable insights into the character and mental processes of the protagonist and into the effect that his work as a detective has on his personal life; this is another key feature of this genre. They also project a strong sense of place through the use of locations in Edinburgh and around Scotland and through the inclusion of distinctively Scottish speech and cultural references. These are all characteristics that make the Meldrum novels comparable to the highly-regarded Italian-based Aurelio Zen series by fellow crime writer Michael Dibdin
.
In a 2002 article for the Association for Scottish Literary Studies Lindsay described his work on the Meldrum books as a challenge in developing a complex, rounded and psychologically interesting character within the form and conventions of the detective genre.
) and psychosis (After the Stranger Came).
In 2005 his novel Brond was nominated in a List Magazine/Scottish Book Trust list of the 100 best Scottish books of all time.
and featuring the actors Stratford Johns
and John Hannah
. In 1999 Jill Rips
was made into a major Hollywood film (also known in the USA as Jill the Ripper for its video release and Tied Up for its TV debut) directed by Anthony Hickox
and starring Dolph Lundgren
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
crime writer, born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and living in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. He has been a full-time writer since 1979 and previously worked as a lecturer, teacher and library assistant. He has been active in a number of literary organisations including the Society of Authors, International PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
(a worldwide writers' association promoting freedom of expression) and the Scottish Arts Council
Scottish Arts Council
The Scottish Arts Council is a Scottish public body that distributes funding from the Scottish Government, and is the leading national organisation for the funding, development and promotion of the arts in Scotland...
. In addition to novels he also writes for TV, radio and the theatre. Two of his novels have been made into films.
DI Jim Meldrum series
"Meldrum was one of those men defined by their job. Assuming he had a private life at all, it was hard to imagine what it might be. A glance to the side gave... a glimpse of the raw-boned profile, big nose, long chin, thin mouth, giving nothing away. The hands surrounding the steering wheel were thick-fingered, old scars white on the back of the nearer, hands shaped by grasping tools, a workman’s hands.” The Endings Man, 2005
Lindsay has written seven novels over the course of ten years featuring Detective Inspector Jim Meldrum, an officer with Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian and Borders Police
Lothian and Borders Police is the territorial police force for the Scottish council areas of the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian...
, as their main protagonist. He was originally intended as a one-off study into the fate of a whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
and the personal cost of integrity. But Lindsay's publishers at the time, Hodder and Stoughton, commissioned further works and so the series was born.
The Meldrum books are classic police procedurals, dark in tone, which sometimes exploit the convention of having the identity of the perpetrator known to the reader before it becomes clear to the detectives. They feature considerable insights into the character and mental processes of the protagonist and into the effect that his work as a detective has on his personal life; this is another key feature of this genre. They also project a strong sense of place through the use of locations in Edinburgh and around Scotland and through the inclusion of distinctively Scottish speech and cultural references. These are all characteristics that make the Meldrum novels comparable to the highly-regarded Italian-based Aurelio Zen series by fellow crime writer Michael Dibdin
Michael Dibdin
Michael Dibdin , was a British crime writer.-Life:Dibdin was born in Wolverhampton, the son of a physicist, and was brought up from the age of seven in Lisburn, Northern Ireland where he attended Friends' School...
.
In a 2002 article for the Association for Scottish Literary Studies Lindsay described his work on the Meldrum books as a challenge in developing a complex, rounded and psychologically interesting character within the form and conventions of the detective genre.
Other works
Lindsay has described his novels as "differ[ing] markedly in tone and subject matter." They have themes including coming of age and sexual discovery (My Life as a Man), the death of a sibling (Jill RipsJill Rips
Jill Rips is a film directed in 1999 by Anthony Hickox starring Dolph Lundgren, based on a 1987 novel by Scottish writer Frederic Lindsay. The film is also known as Jill the Ripper and Tied Up.-Plot:...
) and psychosis (After the Stranger Came).
In 2005 his novel Brond was nominated in a List Magazine/Scottish Book Trust list of the 100 best Scottish books of all time.
Involvement in films
Two of Lindsay's works have been made into films. In 1987 Brond became a made-for-TV movie directed by fellow Scotsman Michael Caton-JonesMichael Caton-Jones
Michael Caton-Jones is the director of such films as Scandal, Rob Roy, Memphis Belle and The Jackal...
and featuring the actors Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns
Stratford Johns, born Alan Edgar Stratford-Johns, was a popular British stage, film and television actor who is best remembered for his starring role as Detective Inspector Charlie Barlow in the innovative and long-running BBC police series Z-Cars, created by Troy Kennedy-Martin.-Early life:Johns...
and John Hannah
John Hannah (actor)
John David Hannah is a Scottish actor of film and television. He has appeared in Stephen Sommers' Mummy Series, Richard Curtis' Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow...
. In 1999 Jill Rips
Jill Rips
Jill Rips is a film directed in 1999 by Anthony Hickox starring Dolph Lundgren, based on a 1987 novel by Scottish writer Frederic Lindsay. The film is also known as Jill the Ripper and Tied Up.-Plot:...
was made into a major Hollywood film (also known in the USA as Jill the Ripper for its video release and Tied Up for its TV debut) directed by Anthony Hickox
Anthony Hickox
Anthony Hickox is an English film director, actor, film producer and screenwriter.His works include Waxwork and its sequel, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, "Prince Valiant", "Children of the Corn", "Warlock: Armageddon", "Payback",...
and starring Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren
Dolph Lundgren is a Swedish actor, director, and martial artist. He belongs to a generation of film actors who epitomise the movie action hero stereotype including Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean-Claude Van Damme.A graduate in chemical...
.
Novels featuring DI Jim Meldrum
- Tremor of Demons (2007)
- The Endings Man (2005)
- Darkness In My Hand (2001)
- Death Knock (2000)
- Idle Hands (1999)
- A Kind of Dying (1998)
- Kissing Judas (1997)
Other works by Frederic Lindsay
- My Life As A Man (2006)
- After the Stranger Came (1992)
- A Charm Against Drowning (1988)
- Jill Rips (1987)
- Brond (1984)
- And Be The Nations Again (Poems) (1975)