Frank Renwick

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

Frank Renwick, aka 'Baron of Ravenstone', is a Shetland author, born and brought up in Unst, which forms the lightly veiled setting for his main work to date, the comic novel 'Noost' (Scottish Academic Press, Edinburgh, 1978). The presence of an RAF base rather gives it away, and it is from the clash of cultures that Renwick derives his humour mainly, but the array of bizarre characters, absurd action and the rather arch, digressive narrative voice gives the book something of the savour and depth of Flann O'Brien's Ireland.

Given its date, it is, inevitably, a novel perched on the edge of the oil era: redolent of Unst as it was before, resistent to prediction, but ultimately affirming of the island's vitality and instinct for survival:

"... Some sad folk have taken to predicting the end of the world for Noost, as for the whole of Shetland, with the coming of the Oil Boom in Shetland waters. Certainly, there's more been written in this last two or three years than in the whole of the previous quiet history - and rancid, pretentious rubbish a lot of it is to be sure. Far be it from me to predict the future for Shetland--heaven alone knows what the Bogg men will get up to should they ever get within sniffing distance of an oil company--but as for Noost, the island community mirrored here in this learned treatise, it is no ancient mummified, sacrosanct civilisation from a past age that will crumble to dust if it's once uncovered by twentieth century man ..." (p.224)

Renwick acquired the title of 'Baron of Ravenstone' and under this name has published other work, including a highly successful comic history of Scotland. After living in Galloway for a while he returned to live on his native Unst.