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Eric Linklater (1899–1974)

Author of The Wind on the Moon

71+ Works 1,701 Members 24 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Series

Works by Eric Linklater

The Wind on the Moon (1944) 361 copies
Poet's Pub (1929) 135 copies
The Voyage of the Challenger (1972) 111 copies
Juan in America (1931) 105 copies
Private Angelo (1946) 97 copies
The Prince in the Heather (1965) 52 copies
The conquest of England (1966) 49 copies
Magnus Merriman (1945) 45 copies
Juan in China (1937) 43 copies
The Dark of Summer (1956) 39 copies
Royal House of Scotland (1970) 33 copies
The Faithful Ally (1954) 28 copies
The Merry Muse (1959) 27 copies
Ripeness Is All (1935) 22 copies
Orkney and Shetland (1965) 22 copies
A spell for old bones (1949) 21 copies
The Impregnable Women (1938) 20 copies
The Men of Ness (1932) 19 copies
White-Maa's Saga (1932) 16 copies
The House of Gair (1953) 15 copies
Mr Byculla (1950) 14 copies
The Northern Garrisons (1941) 14 copies
Husband of Delilah a novel (1962) 14 copies
A Sociable Plover (1957) 13 copies
Judas (1946) 12 copies
The Highland Division (1942) 12 copies
Laxdale Hall (1951) 12 copies
The Art of Adventure (1947) 11 copies
Position At Noon (1958) 11 copies
Mary, Queen of Scots (1933) 11 copies
The Cornerstones (1941) 11 copies
Scotland (1968) 10 copies
The Defence of Calais (1941) 10 copies
The Ultimate Viking (1955) 9 copies
Edinburgh (1960) 9 copies
The sailor's holiday (1937) 8 copies
Det blæser på Månen 2 (1991) 6 copies
Fanfare for a Tin Hat (1970) 5 copies
A Man Over Forty (1963) 5 copies
A Terrible Freedom (1966) 4 copies
Roll of honour (1961) 3 copies
The Crusader's Key (1933) 3 copies
María Estuardo 2 copies
Karina with love (1958) 1 copy
Kind Kitty 1 copy

Associated Works

Brideshead Revisited (1945) — Foreword, some editions — 12,537 copies
The Oxford Book of Scottish Short Stories (1995) — Contributor — 102 copies
The Fantastic Imagination II (1978) — Contributor — 96 copies
The Phoenix Tree: An Anthology of Myth Fantasy (1980) — Contributor — 72 copies
The New Penguin Book of Scottish Short Stories (1983) — Contributor — 70 copies
The Penguin Book of Scottish Short Stories (1986) — Contributor — 67 copies
Over the Rainbow Tales of Fantasy and Imagination (1983) — Contributor — 62 copies
Modern English Short Stories: Second Series (1911) — Contributor — 62 copies
The Life of Charles XII, King of Sweden (1960) — Introduction, some editions — 58 copies
The Fairies Return; or, New Tales for Old (1934) — Contributor — 49 copies
Scottish Stories of Fantasy and Horror (1971) — Contributor — 44 copies
Visions and Imaginations: Classic Fantasy Fiction (2005) — Contributor — 13 copies
A child under sail (1938) — Introduction, some editions — 8 copies
Fatal Fascination: A Choice of Crime (1964) — Contributor — 8 copies
Frans G. Bengtsson : en minnesbok — Contributor — 7 copies
Chosen for Children (1957) — Contributor — 5 copies
Tredive mesterfortællinger — Author, some editions — 3 copies
The Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales of Horror (1964) — Contributor — 2 copies
JOHN MOORE'S ENGLAND. (1970) — Editor — 2 copies

Tagged

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Common Knowledge

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Reviews

Linklater is described in wiki as a Welsh-born Scottish poet, fiction writer, military historian and travel writer. His most famous book is probably The Wind on the Moon which is a children's fantasy novel. Laxdale Hall was published in 1951 and it was made into a film of the same name; I have not seen it, but imagine it as a British made 'b' movie following on the coat tails of Whiskey Galore, however looking at the cast list: Ronald Squire, Kathleen Ryan, Raymond Huntley, Sebastian Shaw and Fulton Mackay I am thinking it might have had pretensions of better things.

The novel is very much of its time. An isolated Scottish village on the west coast is preparing to put on an amateur production of a play by Euripides. The villagers have been canvassing their MP in London for money to build a new road and an improved docking facility and are thrilled to learn of the arrival of a delegation from London. They have been refusing to pay their road tax because they claim they have not got a road on which they can safely drive their cars. The General who owns Laxdale Hall is leading the protest group and his large house is the only suitable accommodation for the delegation. A criminal group from Glasgow have targeted the salmon river running by Laxdale hall for a poaching expedition. The villagers must persuade the London delegation they are worthy of monetary support, fight off the criminal gang and make a success of a controversial play.

Linklater's book never quite hits the right note, not quite funny enough, not serious enough about the problems facing a remote highland village and underestimates the problems of putting on such a play. The General tries to be all things to all men while various other characters become caricatures of half crazy people living in a remote village that still have the wit to outfox a criminal gang and dupe a bunch of stuffed shirts from London. Linklater writes some excellent prose describing the countryside and the beating of the criminal gang is carried out like a military exercise, however there are still fifty pages to go, when most of the issues have been resolved and there is only the play left to bring the story to a climax that unfortunately has already been largely resolved. The book is entertaining enough and the colourful characters have their moments, but it all seems so old fashioned; and not in a good way, to be reading this now. 3 stars.
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Flagged
baswood | 1 other review | Jan 2, 2024 |
enerally, I am very interested in literature from the 1930s, and I had already read a novel by Eric Linklater but I couldn't really get into it. I am not sure why. Perhaps because the novel is so much about the literary scene at that time, and I cannot get the jokes and quips that are supposed to spice up the story. The story just stands too far from us.
 
Flagged
edwinbcn | 2 other reviews | Aug 12, 2023 |
Highland village refuse proposed move to new industrial town, gains sympathy of one MP
 
Flagged
ritaer | 1 other review | Aug 24, 2021 |
backward family history as each narrator tells his life then excuses by the faults of his father
 
Flagged
ritaer | Aug 4, 2021 |

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Works
71
Also by
19
Members
1,701
Popularity
#15,088
Rating
4.0
Reviews
24
ISBNs
139
Languages
9
Favorited
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