The granddaddy of Scottish crime fiction

I took this photo during a bookseller event we organised at Summerhall in Edinburgh to mark our forthcoming republication of William McIlvanney's magnificent Laidlaw trilogy.
The writer and critic Doug Johnstone interviewed Willie in what was a very informal and enjoyable session at the end of which Willie then read two extracts from Laidlaw.

Summerhall used to be the Royal School of Veterinary Studies and it seemed appropriate to be holding this event in one of the old operating theatres as Willie's ability to use a pen like a scalpel whilst dissecting the city of Glasgow, society at large and the complex moral hearts that lie in all humans is nothing short of masterful.

During the event I tweeted this picture along with the comment "Willie McIlvanney - one of the great writers of our times. Generous, wise, real and tough. And surprisingly gentle" and got an almost immediate response from Val McDermid saying "All of that and very sexy to boot". I relayed this exchange to the audience and it generated lots of laughter.

He is indeed a great looking guy and it's hard to believe he is 76! Long may the king live