Gordon Williams (writer)
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Gordon Maclean Williams (20 June 1934 – 20 August 2017) was a British author of more than 20 novels. He also worked as a ghostwriter and a scriptwriter for films.


Biography

Born in
Paisley, Renfrewshire Paisley ( ; ; ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Water, a tributary of the River ...
, Williams was the son of a police constable who had moved south from
Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...
. He was educated at the John Neilson Institution, leaving aged 16 to become a cub reporter for the ''Johnstone Advertiser''. Following
national service National service is a system of compulsory or voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act ...
with the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) in Germany, he moved to London to work as a journalist. He wrote for television and was the author of several novels, including '' From Scenes Like These'' (1968), shortlisted for the
Booker Prize The Booker Prize, formerly the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a prestigious literary award conferred each year for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language, wh ...
in 1969, ''Walk Don't Walk'' (1972) and ''Big Morning Blues'' (1974). Other early novels include ''The Camp'' (1966), ''The Man Who Had Power Over Women'' (1967) and ''The Upper Pleasure Garden'' (1970). He was a
ghostwriter A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...
for the autobiographies of association footballers
Bobby Moore Robert Frederick Chelsea Moore (12 April 1941 – 24 February 1993) was an English professional footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years, and was the captain of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA ...
,
Terry Venables Terence Frederick Venables (6 January 1943 – 25 November 2023), often referred to as El Tel, was an English football player and manager who played for clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers and won two caps for E ...
and manager
Tommy Docherty Thomas Henderson Docherty (24 April 1928 – 31 December 2020), commonly known as The Doc, was a Scottish football player and manager. Docherty played for several clubs, most notably Preston North End, and represented Scotland 25 times bet ...
. Williams' experiences in the RAF informed his second published novel, ''The Camp''. In 1971, his novel '' The Siege of Trencher's Farm'' was controversially filmed as '' Straw Dogs''.
Sam Peckinpah David Samuel Peckinpah (; February 21, 1925 – December 28, 1984) was an American film director and screenwriter. His 1969 Western epic '' The Wild Bunch'' received two Academy Award nominations and was ranked No. 80 on the American Film Instit ...
's cinematic treatment marked a watershed in the depiction of sexual violence in the cinema though the most controversial scenes are absent from the book. Other film work includes '' The Man Who Had Power Over Women'', from his own novel, and '' Tree of Hands'', as scriptwriter from a
Ruth Rendell Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, (; 17 February 1930 – 2 May 2015) was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. Rendell is best known for creating Chief Inspector Wexford.The Oxford Companion ...
novel. Williams also wrote the book of
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
's film '' The Duellists''. In 1976, film producer
Harry Saltzman Herschel "Harry" Saltzman (; – ) was a Canadian theatre and film producer. He is best remembered for co-producing the first nine of the ''James Bond'' film series with Albert R. Broccoli. Apart from a ten-year stint living in St. Petersbu ...
employed Williams to rewrite the script for ''The Micronauts''. Although the film was never made, Williams' novelisation was published in 1977; he subsequently wrote two sequels. While working as commercial manager of association football club Chelsea, he renewed his collaboration with Venables, resulting in four co-written novels. From the novels grew the 1978 TV series '' Hazell'', which the pair co-wrote under the shared pseudonym P. B. Yuill. Under the name Jack Lang, Williams also wrote paperbacks "for £300 a time". Williams declined director
Bill Forsyth William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946) is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films '' Gregory's Girl'' (1981), '' Local Hero'' (1983) and '' Comfort and Joy'' (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Marilynne Robinson novel ...
's invitation to write the script for the 1981 film '' Gregory's Girl''. He died on 20 August 2017 at the age of 83.


Bibliography

;Non-fiction *''A Hundred Years of Protest and Progress'', official history of the London Trades Council, 1860–1960, 1960 *''
Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was an English clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistco ...
'', biography; May Fair Books, 1962 ;Novels *''The Last Day of Lincoln Charles''; London:
Secker & Warburg Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...
, 1965; New York:
Stein & Day Stein and Day, Inc. was an American publishing company founded by Sol Stein and his wife Patricia Day in 1962. Stein was both the publisher and the editor-in-chief. The firm was based in New York City, and was in business for 27 years, until cl ...
, 1966 *''The Camp''; London: Secker & Warburg, 1966;
Allison & Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in Ma ...
, 1980 *''The Man Who Had Power Over Women''; London: Secker & Warburg, 1967; New York: Stein & Day, 1967 *''The Hard Case'' (as Jack Lang); Mayflower, 1968 *'' From Scenes Like These''; London: Secker & Warburg, 1968; New York: William Morrow, 1969; London: Allison & Busby, 1980 (in ''Growing up in the West'',
Canongate The Canongate is a street and associated district in central Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The street forms the main eastern length of the Royal Mile while the district is the main eastern section of Edinburgh's Old Town. David ...
, 2003) *''The Biter'' (as Jack Lang); Mayflower, 1968 *'' The Siege of Trencher's Farm'' (filmed as ''Straw Dogs''); London: Secker & Warburg, 1969; New York: William Morrow, 1969 *''The Upper Pleasure Garden''; London: Secker & Warburg, 1970; New York: William Morrow, 1970 *''Walk Don't Walk''; London: Quartet, 1973, Allison & Busby, 1980; New York: St Martin's Press, 1972 *''The Bornless Keeper'' (as P. B. Yuill); Macmillan, 1974 *''Big Morning Blues''; London:
Hodder & Stoughton Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.H ...
, 1974 *'' The Duellists'' (novelisation of
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
film based on screenplay by Gerald Vaughan-Hughes); London: Fontana, 1977 *''Pomeroy, an American Diplomat''; London: Michael Joseph, 1983 ;With Terry Venables *'' They Used to Play on Grass''; London: Odhams, 1972 *''Hazell Plays Solomon'' (as P. B. Yuill); Penguin, 1977 *''Hazell and the Three Card Trick'' (as P. B. Yuill); Penguin, 1977 *''Hazell and the Menacing Jester'' (as P. B. Yuill); Penguin, 1977 ;Ghosted *''The Book of Soccer'', edited by Bobby Moore; *''
Denis Law Denis Law (24 February 1940 – 17 January 2025) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchest ...
's Book of Soccer''; *''The Book of Soccer'' (Bobby Moore); *''My Soccer Story by Bobby Moore'' (autobiography); *''Thirteen Against the Bank'', by Norman Leigh; Penguin, 1977 ;Science fiction *''The Micronauts'': New English Library, 1977;
Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr., Sidney B. K ...
, August 1977 *''The Microcolony'': Bantam Books, 1979; U.K. title: ''Micronaut World''; New English Library, June 1981 *''Revolt of the Micronauts'': Bantam Books, 1981; New English Library, 1981 ;Contributor * "The Horseshoe Inn", in ''Prevailing Spirits: A Book of Scottish Ghost Stories'' ( Giles Gordon, ed.): Hamish Hamilton, 1976


References


External links

* * D. J. Taylor
"Gordon who?"
(interview), ''The Guardian'', 22 October 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Gordon 1934 births 2017 deaths Scottish novelists Scottish science fiction writers Writers from Paisley, Renfrewshire