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Posted: Tuesday 15 December 2009

The John Buchan Memorial Lecture: Magnus Mills, Author

S6 pupils, staff and guests enjoyed the John Buchan Memorial Lecture in December, this year delivered by author Magnus Mills. Gregor Hogan [S6] reports.

Magnus MillsShortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread First Novel award for The Restraint of Beasts in 1998, Mills is a renowned author and highly acclaimed by critics and booklovers alike.

Opening his address, Mills explained the 'double life' he leads: working as London bus driver full-time and writing in his free time. Mills then read from his most recent publication The Maintenance of Headway. The novel's style was deceptively simple and the prose rhythmic, whilst the plot itself was superbly witty. Focused on the workings of the London bus system, the novel provided an interesting viewpoint on life from the drivers' perspective, although also making deeper comments about human society.

John BuchanJohn Buchan (Lord Tweedsdale) was a pupil at Hutchesons' Boys' Grammar School from 1888 to 1892. Educated at Hutchesons', the University of Glasgow and later at the University of Oxford, John Buchan was an academic, journalist, politician and prolific author. Although the Rector, Dr Greig, drew few literary parallels between the two writers, Magnus Mills' lecture demonstrated his literary prowess and was a fitting ambassador of Buchan's legacy.

Tags: S6, Talking Points

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