In his two earlier novels, Alistair Mair dealt with both human psychological problems and slightly more humorous financial difficulties. In this, his third novel, he deals with the problem of a young woman doctor and a rather older man, brought together by tragedy and separated by the almost insoluble difficulties of modern life; social inequality, difference in religion, opposing outlooks on all conventional life. How Diana and her Wise Man coped with their joint and individual problems is the basis of this beautiful and poignant love-story. In its telling, Alistair Mair has reached heights of delicate perception which will go far to confirming his position as one of the most promising of the younger novelists. An award-winning author of ten novels, latterly published by William Heinemann Ltd, Alistair Mair was President of Scottish Pen from 1965--1970. The Alistair Mair literary estate is represented by Camilla Shestopal of Peters Fraser & Dunlop, to whom all enquiries should be addressed.

Born of mixed Highland and Lowland parentage and brought up in Ayrshire, Scotland, Alistair Mair was educated at George Watson's College in Edinburgh and studied medicine at Glasgow University. After graduation in 1947 he worked for a year in a Glasgow hospital and spent two years in the RAF. As a young man he enjoyed travelling, and said of his travels, 'I generally travelled alone and always tried to live--as nearly as one can--as an ordinary person, trying to speak the language, however badly, and attempting to get to know the people and their way of life at a personal level. In this I succeeded best in Spain and, possibly for this reason, developed a deep affection and regard for the country, the people, their literature and their art.' He married in 1952 and set up in general practice near Edinburgh. During the next ten years of unremitting work as a doctor he began to publish his first books and a son and daughter were born to the Mairs. In 1962 he decided to make writing a full-time occupation and went with his family to live in an Argyllshire village on the west coast of Scotland. He had a deep and abiding affection for the Scottish Highlands and said at the time, 'There is, in theory, time to read, time to write, time to lie in the sun if you feel like it. The mystery is that life has become even busier than before.' He is survived by his daughter Diana and her two children.