Robert Douglas Galbraith (28 October 1965 – 23 March 2018) was a Scottish historical novelist.
Early life[edit]
Galbraith was born in 1965 to Alan and Judy Galbraith.[1] He was educated at The Glasgow Academy and the University of St Andrews, where he read mediaeval history.[1] He then undertook a PhD at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he met Tomoko Hanasaki.[1]
Career[edit]
After working in the wine trade, he was able to focus on writing after the success of his first novel, The Rising Sun, in 2000.[1] The novel explored the Scottish trade expedition to Darien in 1698, which ended in financial ruin.[1] It was awarded the Saltire Award for Best First Novel.[2][1] His follow-up novel, Crichton, (about the Scottish polymath James Crichton) was offered publication, but his agent rejected the offer, thinking that further offers would be forthcoming.[1] None were, and it was subsequently only published as an e-book.[1]
Works[edit]
- The Rising Sun, (2000: Picador).
- Crichton, (2010: e-book).
- A Winter in China, (2005: Secker).
- King Henry, (2008: Vintage).
- My Son, My Son, (2012: Vintage).
Personal life[edit]
Galbraith married Tomoko Hanasaki in 1996;[3] they had two sons, Satomi and Makoto. In 2003, when the boys were six and four, Galbraith returned from a meeting with his publishers to discover that Hanasaki had abducted them and taken them to Japan.[1] His memoir My Son, My Son is about their abduction.[4] Despite his best efforts, Galbraith never saw his sons again, and they remain (2022) missing.[1][5][6]
Galbraith was the uncle of the author and journalist, Patrick Galbraith, whose first book In Search of One Last Song (2022: William Collins) was dedicated to Douglas Galbraith.[7][citation needed]
Galbraith died in 2018, aged 52.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Scotsman: "Obituary: Douglas Galbraith, author whose life was devastated by the loss of his children", 7 May 2018". 7 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ "Herald: "Novel depicting homosexual awakening scoops Saltire prize", 1 December 2000". December 2000. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ Reading & Wokingham GRO, 1996, 4th quarter, district no 320, page no 0098, entry no 092.
- ^ "The Scotsman: "Interview: Douglas Galbraith, author of My Son, My Son", 3 April 2012". 3 April 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Fathers' Rights in Japan: Satomi Hanazaki Galbraith". Retrieved 15 May 2022.
- ^ Ryall, Julian (4 May 2022). "Daily Telegraph: "My nephews were abducted to Japan", 4 May 2022". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "In Search of One Last Song: Britain's disappearing birds and the people trying to save them".
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