Ron Butlin is the current Edinburgh Poet Laureate (Makar). Last year he was madethe first Honorary Writing Fellow of the University of Edinburgh, together withIan Rankin. Before taking up writingfull-time he was, at various times, a lyricist with a pop band, a barnaclescraper on Thames barges, a footman attending embassies and country houses, anda male model. His poetry and fiction have won several SAC Book Awards. TheSound of My Voice was the winner of the Prix MillePages and Prix Lucioles (both for Best Foreign Novel), and was included in the recent Guardian’s 1000 Books You Have To Read. A play based on this novel was presented by the Glasgow Citizens Theatre and ran throughout last year’s Edinburgh Festival.

This year sees theproduction of his new opera with Lyell Cresswell, The Money Man, for Scottish Opera. His most recent novel is Belonging, ‘A gripping read . . . a real page-turner’ (Guardian), and was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. His most recent collection of short stories, No More Angels, was described as ‘an emotional roller-coaster . . .If you love great books, read this, then everything Ron Butlin has penned.’(Daily Record). He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, the writer Regi Claire, and their golden retriever.  

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