Edward Gaitens

Edward Gaitens (1897 – 1966) was born in the Gorbals of Glasgow. Leaving school at fourteen, he undertook a variety of casual jobs to support himself over the years. When the First World War broke out he became a conscientious objector and was imprisoned for two years in Wormwood Scrubs. In the 1930s he began to write, his early attempts greatly encouraged by his fellow Glaswegian, the dramatist James Bridie. Gaitens continued to write from time to time during the years in which he lived – virtually anonymously – in London and Dublin. Growing Up… and Dance of the Apprentices remain his only published books.