Robin Jenkins

Robin Jenkins (11 September 1912 - 24 February 2005) was a Scottish writer of about thirty novels, the most well know being "The Cone Gatherers".

Jenkins was born John Jenkins; his father died when he was only seven years old and he was brought up by his mother. He attended Hamilton Academy. He was a conscientious objector in the Second World War, working in forestry (a theme that would re-appear in "The Cone-Gatherers"). Upon the release of his first novel, "So Gaily Sings the Lark" in 1951, he adopted the pseudonym 'Robin'.

Jenkins was also an English and History teacher. He taught at Riverside Secondary in Glasgow's East End and later at Dunoon Grammar School. He also spent four formative years at the Gaya School in Sabah, Borneo, living there with his wife May and their children. Before that, he had held British Council teaching posts in both Kabul and Barcelona.

His best-known novel, "The Cone Gatherers", is based upon his forestry work as a conscientious objector, and is often studied in the Scottish schools. While "The Cone Gatherers" has been criticised as being devoid of any real sense of place, other novels such as "The Thistle and the Grail", his 1954 football story, paint vivid pictures of more accessible settings. His writing typically touches on many themes, including morality, the struggle between good and evil, war, class, and social justice. "Just Duffy" is another novel of Jenkin's which focuses on themes, in a style which has been compared to that of an earlier Scottish writer, James Hogg.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/arts/writingscotland/writers/john_robin_jenkins/ BBC page on Robin Jenkins]
* [http://www.hi-arts.co.uk/mar05_feature_robin_jenkins.htm Brian Mortons' appreciation of Jenkins' life]