Anne Donovan

Anne Donovan, award-winning fiction writer, contributes to the life of the University with story readings and workshops.

Anne was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the University in 2011 in recognition of the outstanding contribution she has made to the arts.

A former English teacher, Anne made the transition to full-time writing following the success of her first novel, Buddha Da.

Buddha Da was shortlisted for the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction, the Whitbread First Novel Award, and Scottish Art Council’s ‘Book of the Year’. She has published a collection of short stories, Hieroglyphics and Other Stories, to much acclaim and is widely considered to be one of Scotland’s leading writers of her generation.

Her second novel, Being Emily, followed in 2008 and more recently, her latest novel, Gone Are The Leaves, has been shortlisted for the 2014 Saltire Scottish Literary Book of the Year Award.

Anne enriches the activities of the University’s award-winning Caledonian Club through working creatively with children and parents. She plays a key role in bringing together the Caledonian Club’s successful Primary 2 digital book, Molly and Cally Adventure Series.This project allows pupils to explore an area of their class topic or learning theme by researching, writing and illustrating their own book.

She also dedicates her time to supporting other projects within the Caledonian Club, including this year’s Families Learning Together, which encourages pupils from Primary 3-4 to learn with their family members. Anne is generous with her time, sharing her talent and love of creative writing with others.