Selection of Works by Neil Gunn
Taigh-tasgaidh Dualchais Dhùn Bheathadh

Neil Gunn (1891 – 1973) was one of the most important writers of Scottish fiction in the early twentieth century. Starting with his first novel, The Grey Coast published in 1926, Gunn’s works explore Highland life, including the impact of the Highland Clearances on communities.   

Often experimental in style, Gunn became associated with the Scottish Literary Renaissance during the 1920s and 1930s. He penned over twenty novels as well as collections of essays and an autobiography.  

In 1937, Gunn was awarded the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Highland River. This was the third of a trilogy of novels exploring Highland history, including Sun Circle and Butcher’s Broom. He is also well-remembered for The Silver Darlings which takes the herring industry as its subject.  

His autobiography, The Atom of Delight was published in 1956. Gunn died in 1973, but in 1991, to mark the centenary of Gunn’s birth, a memorial sculpture was commissioned in Dunbeath Harbour.