LITERARY WORK OF A SURGEON

Abstract

Osborne Henry Mavor was a complex figure of the Scottish culture being able to dedicate his youth years to medicine and the middle age to writing plays. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I and for other six years he served in Middle East, India, Persia, Baku and Constantinople. All his experiences in these exotic countries helped him gather the material for his future plays. These locations inspired him with legends, superstitions and biblical knowledge. Public recognition came after his first play, in 1928. Six years later he dropped practicing medicine and devoted all his energy to writing literature although he came back to his first passion during World War II serving on a Hospital Ship in Norway. He supported culture as much as he could by setting up Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre (1943), College of Drama in Glasgow (1950), reaching to be the director of The Scottish National Theatre Society. He contributed not only to the development of Scottish theatre but by encouraging new talented playwrights.

Keywords

• surgeon
• playwright
• drama
• apocryphal texts
• mystery