Biography
Ewan Morrison (Born 15th October 1968) is an author and freelance journalist who lives in Glasgow, Scotland. His books include the novels Swung, Menage and Distance and the collection of short stories The Last Book You Read and other stories. His writing is known for it’s frank, sometimes graphic depictions of modern relationships (1).
Background
Morrison was born in Wick, Caithness, the son of the poet/librarian David Morrison and the singer Edna Morrison (2). He attended Wick High School and then Glasgow School of Art, where he graduated in 1990 with a first class honours degree and was co-winner of the BoS dissertation prize. Morrison worked as a television director from 1990 till 2004 and directed over 200 hours of broadcast television. His short film I Saw You won The Royal Television Society Award for regional TV drama in 1999, and was nominated for two Scottish BAFTAs. He worked for three years as an in-house scriptwriter with Madstone films in New York between 2001 and 2004.
His debut publication The Last Book You Read and other stories saw him short listed for the ARENA magazine ‘Man of the Year’ award in 2006, while his first novel Swung, published in 2005 by Jonathan Cape/Vintage, was short listed for the Le Prince Maurice Award (3). His second and third novels Distance and Menage were published in 2008 and 2009 and form a kind of trilogy with the first novel, as each explores a different extreme alternative to conventional monogamy (4). From 2007-09 Morrison wrote a weekly column for Scotland on Sunday under the nom de plume Weegie Bored (5). He has also contributed articles to The Guardian, The Independent and the Times and The Erotic Review. Morrison was a UNESCO Edinburgh City of Literature writer in Residence at Varuna, Australia in 2006, and is the recipient of a writer’s bursary from the Scottish Arts Council. His next book will be a thematically linked collection of short stories exploring the ways in which individuals struggle with consumerism - an ongoing theme in his writing (5).
Swung has been translated into Italian and German and is currently being developed as a feature film with Sigma Films. and director David Mackenzie. Sigma are the production company behind Young Adam, Red Road and Hallam Foe.
Bibliography
Novels
Swung (2007)
Distance (2008)
Menage (2009)
Short Stories
The Last Book You Read and Other Stories (2005)
Anthologies
The Flash (2007)
Four Letter Word (under Anonymous) 2007
Flash. The International short story magazine Volume 2 number 1 (2009)
2HB (2009)
The Book that Changed my Life (2010)
Short Films (as Writer)
I Saw You (2000)
The Proposal (1998)
The Contract (1995)
Short Films (as Director)
I Saw You (2000)
The Lovers (2000)
The Proposal (1998)
The Contract (1995)
Blue Christmas (1994)
NOTES
1. Welsh, Irvine. Boys Keep Swinging, Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/apr/21/featuresreviews.guardianreview22
2. Gallix, Andrew. More Thanatos that Eros. Interview with 3AM.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/more-thanatos-than-eros/
3. Times magazine. Le Prince Maurice
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4120501.ece
3. Kelly, Stuart. Book review - Menage.
http://living.scotsman.com/books/Book-review-Mnage-by-Ewan.5428345.jp
4. Archive of ‘weegie bored’ columns at Scotland on Sunday
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/ewan-morrison/Ewan-Morrison-39Frozen-like-some.5579657.jp
5. Death of a Nihilist or Obituary for a Nobody. Article 3AM magazine.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/death-of-a-nihilist-or-obituary-for-a-nobody/
EXTERNAL LINKS
Official site
Authors site at Random House ‘Authorsplace’
http://authorsplace.co.uk/ewan-morrison/
Video clips of readings and short films by author
Gelonesi, Joe. Interview with ABC Radio, Australia (transcript).
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2007/2014517.htm
Short story at Dogmatika
http://dogmatika.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/dogs/
Short story at Beat
http://the-beat.co.uk/clean-sheets-and-a-view-of-the-hudson/
Archive of ‘weegie bored’ columns at Scotland on Sunday
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/ewan-morrison/Ewan-Morrison-39Frozen-like-some.5579657.jp
Ewan Morrison at Contemporary Writers (British Council) http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth5689e3e00cac21b16eykv4276073
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
CURRENTLY
In 2010 Ewan will be reading at Aye Write festival and The Edinburgh International Book Festival
Ewan has recently been awarded a Scottish Arts Council writers bursary for a book of short stories entitled TALES FROM THE MALL. He has also recently been awarded a six week writers residency at Cove Park - an innovative artist and writers retreat on the banks of Loch Long, Scotland.
He was the recipient of a Scottish Arts Council Writers Award 2005, was a nominee for the ARENA magazine O2 Entrepreneur Award 2006, and was awarded a VARUNA writers residency in Australia as part of UNESCO’s City of Literature 2006, where he appeared at the Sydney Writers Festival and on ABC Radio.
In 2008 Ewan was shortlisted for the Le Prince Maurice Award for best English language love story. The award was held in Mauritius, and co-shortlisted authors were Salley Vickers and James Meek
To read about Ewan’s experiences on Mauritius click here: Prince Maurice
FILM
Ewan Morrison worked as a writer-director in television and film for ten years, directed over 200 hours of television, has been nominated for three BAFTA’s and is the winner of a Royal Television Society Best Drama Award. He was script writer in residence in New York from 2002 to 2005 with Madstone Films.
FILM RESUME | WRITER | DIRECTOR
NEW YORK:
From 2002 till 2004. Ewan Morrison was employed as feature film scriptwriter with Madstone films in New York. He wrote the script NONE OF THE ABOVE with producer Eva Kolodner (Boys Don’t Cry) and oversaw the award winning web design for the feature RHINOCEROS EYES starring Michael Pitt.
UK AWARDS:
Royal Television Society
WINNER, Best Regional Programme 2001: ‘I Saw You’
BAFTA Scotland
2 X NOMINATION, Best Director, Best Drama 2001: ‘I Saw You’
BAFTA Scotland
NOMINATION, Best Short. 1995: ‘Blue Christmas’
BAFTA Scotland
NOMINATION, Best Soundtrack. 1998: ‘The Contract’
FIRST REELS
WINNER, Best Film. 1995: ‘The Contract’
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS:
In 2001, Ewan had three films screened at Clermont Ferrand Film Festival. One, ‘The Lovers’, was in competition. His direction on The Lovers went onto win Special Mention at the Pescara Film Festival and the audience prize at the Festivale de Sainte Livrade. In 1988, his film The Proposal, was in International competition at the Flickerfest, Sydney Australia, and won a special mention at the Napoli Film Festival. Ewan has received scriptwriting awards from The European Script Fund, the National Lottery, Pepinieres and Scottish Screen. In 1994, he was Scriptwriter in residence at the Angers Film Festival.
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT: (as Director)
Naked Elvis: C4. Brighter Pictures. 80 x 30 mins, 1998
(AA. Gill reviewed the cult quiz show show as ‘dragging TV to an all time low’)
Film Night: C4. Wark Clements. 4 x 30 mins, 1998
The Spy Next Door: Sky. Brighter Pictures. 6 x 30 mins, 1998
The A to Z of Scotland: C4. Gosh Films. 5 x 3 mins, 1997
The A to Z of Wales: C4. Gosh Films. 5 x 3 mins, 1997
24 Hour Psycho (EX-S): BBC. Wark Clements. 28 mins, 1997
From 1995 to 1998 Ewan directed the following Arts series for STV: Don’t Look Down, Artery and the Scottish Book Awards. His 15 minute television piece in collaboration with Ivor Cutler, is now seen as a cult classic.
SHORT FILMS:
The Contract: B&W. 16mm. Factory Films, 28 mins. 1995
Blue Christmas: Colour. 16mm. Percussion Pictures, 12 mins. 1995
The Proposal: Colour. 35mm. Utility Films, 18 mins. 1997
I Saw You: Digital. Umbrella Films, 27 mins. 2000
The Lovers: Colour. 35mm. Saltire Films, 18 mins. 2000
