Genius Fan

Portrait Summary

Subject: Moray McLaren, 24 March, 1901 – 12 July, 1971

• McLaren was a romantic and patriotic Scot who wrote two important books about Scottish lawyer and writer James Boswell. He was an influential figure in the BBC’s Scottish Regions between WWI and WWII, worked for Polish intelligence during WWII and went on to have a successful career as a writer (he was prolific) in the post war years. His first Boswell book The Highland Jaunt: A study of James Boswell and Samuel Johnson upon their Highland and Hebridean Tour of 1773 (1954) is a brilliant read and wonderfully evocative of the those years when Boswell’s journals first became widely available and widely read (in the years from 1950 onwards). McLaren hits the road for the Highland and Island legs of that famous tour, with lots of rich observations. Two decades later he travelled to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, following in the footsteps of Boswell who visited the island as part of his grand tour in 1765, to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the young Scotsman’s visit. The following year McLaren published Corsica Boswell: Paoli, Johnson and Freedom (1966). McLaren is such a fine writer. His sympathy with the Scots nation is evident in his prose. His books are well worth reading 75 years on.
• Photograph: This sketch is based on a photograph by Grace Alison (1917-2001), an amateur Scottish photographer from the Twentieth century. McLaren’s wearing his trademark bowtie and sits with pen in one hand and spectacles in the other. You can see this amazing photographic print on the website of the Scottish National Galleries.
• Moray McLaren profile on the Scotland On-Air website