Chris Dolan


Chris Dolan is a Scottish novelist, poet, and playwright. He is married to Moira Dolan and they currently live in Glasgow with their children. He is a lecturer in English Literature at Glasgow Caledonian University and is Programme Leader of the master's degree programme in Television Screenwriting there.

Career

Dolan has published four novels, two collections of short stories and two non-fiction books. He has had three full-length stage plays produced internationally, with five shorter pieces and four collaborations with Spanish dramatists. He has written over 50 hours of television, and more of radio drama. He has worked in collaboration with visual artists on several pieces of public art, has published poems, broadcasts regularly and writes for Scottish and London newspapers.
He also translates and adapts drama from Spanish, including Short Spin and Wheesht, and translates his own work into Spanish.

Novels

Short stories

Poor Angels was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize, and included both the winning story for 1995 Scotland on Sunday / Macallan Prize, and runner-up the following year.

Non-fiction titles

An Anarchist's Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald

Plays

His plays include The Veil, Sabina, The Reader and The Angel's Share.

Writing for screen and radio

Some of his work has appeared on the radio, including four original plays and many adaptations, including Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose, The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson and several of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels. His four-part modern take on Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was broadcast in October 2012.
He has written for BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 3, and BBC Radio 4. He has written such screenplays as Poor Angels and Ring of Truth as well as TV drama documentaries such as An Anarchist's Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald and Barbado'ed both broadcast by BBC and Red Oil for Channel 4. He also has written extensively for Taggart, Take the High Road, Machair (TV series), and River City for which he has been writing since its inception.

Awards

Fiction

NovelsAliyyah Potter's End Ascension Day Redlegs
Short storiesHour After Hour
  • ''Poor Angels''

Non-Fiction

BooksJohn Lennon, The Original Beatle. Biography An Anarchist's Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald
PlaysThe Veil Sabina! 3 Fallen Angels The Angels’ Share The Reader Leather Bound and Double Shot short plays for Play, Pie & Pint, series
  • Short Spin and Wheesht, Zarraberri and Limbo, all translations of plays for Play, Pie & Pint Hephaistos The Kist
Radio dramaSabina ! 120 Rue de la Gare Of Love & Other Demons The Master of Ballantrae Mission to Marseilles The Name of the Rose The Observations The Tenderness of Wolves The Black Sheep Black and Blue The Dead Hour Blue Water Strip Jack House of Mercy Dr. Hyde The Black Book
Television dramaRiver City Taggart Burns – Alive & Kicking Machair High Road The X File
FilmPoor Angels Ring of Truth Mistgate
Television, DOCAn Anarchist's Story: The Life of Ethel MacDonald Barbado’ed Red Oil Don Roberto Eurokids Alba Na 70's
Radio Writer/presenter Inc'sEdge of the World Cover Stories Mingin’ Sunday Morning Letter from Caribbean & Northern Arts The Last Communard Lad o’Pairts On The Shelf Fire! 60 The Last Tutor The Real Macbeth
Poetry
  • Published in: Chapman, Mariscat. Scottish & Glasgow collections

Prizes