The Country Within by Neil Swan

The Country Within by Neil Swan

This beautifully-written memoir tells the story of the first part of a life lived between Scotland, England and three countries half a world away: Burma, as it then was, India and Pakistan. Having been born in Burma, Neil Swan spent his early years there and in India before being sent back to boarding school in Britain. School life in those days was very different, and the quirks and surprises of that sort of upbringing are vividly laid out in this book. When his father returned to Scotland, the family was uprooted yet again, and a new chapter opened in the author’s life.

Told with humour and acute observation, this lovely little book is a reminder of how fascinating and moving a good biographical memoir can be. This is a portrait of a time gone by and a reminder of the pleasure to be found in sharing a few hours with a writer of such ability and courtesy.

Neil Swan worked as a lawyer in Edinburgh until 1983 when he retrained at Manchester Business School in business administration. Two years later, he moved to the south east of England where he worked first in commercial roles, and then as director of legal services and company secretary for a number of listed companies. Married, with three adult sons, he lives in Cambridge. He and his wife are both keen sailors and have a boat on the west coast of Scotland.