Elspeth Sandys – 1995

Undoubtedly, it was a red-letter day when Elspeth Sandys received the letter from D. W. Girvan, Registrar, confirming her successful appointment to the Burns Fellowship for 1995.

Sandys, a successful novelist, short story, and television and stage writer, enjoyed her tenure, describing the experience thus: 'Looking back I have to say 1995 was the most productive year of my writing life, seeding a number of works that were published in the years that followed. Oh to have another year like that!' Although her novel River Lines was not written during 1995, it faced final editing in the famous Burns office.

Elspeth Sandys, River Lines. London: Sceptre; Hodder and Stoughton, 1995. Private Collection; D.W. Girvan to Elspeth Sandys, 17 October 1994. Typescript letter. Private Collection.