Author and poet. Born in Bannockburn (Stirling), the son of a physician, Greig was brought up in Anstruther (Fife). He read philosophy at the University of Edinburgh and began his literary career writing poetry, publishing his first collection White Boats in 1973. This was followed by Men on Ice (1977) reflecting his interest in mountaineering. In 1985, he wrote an account of the successful ascent of the Mustagh Tower (Pakistan) the previous year, which was shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Memorial Prize. The following year Greig published a second mountaineering book Kingdoms of Experience: Everest, the Unclimbed Ridge which has become a classic.
Thereafter, he turned to writing novels; Electric Brae (1992) was shortlisted for the McVitie's Prize for Scottish Writer of the Year, The Return of John McNab (1996), which revived John Buchan's character, was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists' Association Award and topped the Scottish bestseller list in 1996. Further work followed: When They Lay Bare (1999), That Summer (2000) and In Another Light (2004), which won the 2004 Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award. A further collection of poetry, Into You was published in 2001. He produced At the Loch of the Green Corrie as a tribute to his friend poet Norman MacCaig (1910-96) in 2010.
Greig was Writer-in-Residence at the University of Glasgow (1979-81), and at the University of Edinburgh (1992-94). He was also Scottish-Canadian Exchange Fellow at Trent University (Ontario; 1982-3) and now divides his time between his homes in Stromness (Orkney) and South Queensferry.
