A FORMER firefighter from York who passed his GCSE and A-level English when he was 60 has had his first novel published.
Chris Granger, who lives in Acomb, decided to study GCSE and A-level English at York College more than ten years ago.
While studying language and literature, he discovered a love of Shakespeare, and was enthused by his tutors to write. Now, aged 71, his first novel entitled Some Lessons In Gaelic has been published.
He said: “It was the tutor’s praise for my essay that galvanised me to extend that classroom incident into a full-length fictional novel, little knowing at the time that it would take me ten years to complete.
“My novel would never have seen the light of day had I not enrolled at York College and received the encouragement and quality of teaching that I did during those GCSE and A-level courses.”
Chris was born in York and at the age of ten, his family emigrated to Ireland where he was the only English boy in an Irish Roman Catholic school. At 13, he left school to earn a living supporting his family.
Having had a short-lived education, Chris went on to have a 25-year career in the fire brigade, a couple of years working for the VSO in Kenya and 15 years as a self-employed builder.
In retirement, he decided to return to education to study English at York College. His writing skills came flooding back when he was asked by his tutor to pen an essay about his childhood. The subject matter manifested itself in the first shoots of his recently published novel.
Chris always had a flair for reading and writing and he was encouraged to write a book by his mother.
Today he is proud to see his writing in print, under the pseudonym of McCawley Grange, his mother’s maiden name.
Some Lessons In Gaelic can be bought from Waterstones in York and also from Amazon via the internet. A signed first edition can be obtained from the author by emailing mccawleygrange@gmail.com
Lifelong learning
BETTER late than never, as they say.
Former firefighter Chris Granger left it until he was 60 to take his A-level English. And now, at the age of 71, he has published his first novel, Some Lessons In Gaelic.
It was a tutor’s praise for an essay he wrote at York College, where he did his A-level English, that spurred him on.
His novel, published under the pseudonym McCawley Grange, would never have seen the light of day had he not studied there, he admits.
Well done, Chris. It just shows, it’s never too late to learn.
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