The 'fascinating' life of Scottish author of famed Alfred Hitchcock classic who inspired James Bond

Now John Buchan’s incredible life is to be remembered in a lecture to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Mr Buchan’s novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps, published in 1915, was adapted into a film by Hitchcock 20 years later. The story was noted by Bond creator Ian Fleming through the similarities between the spy and Buchan’s character Richard Hannay, as well as the use of the spy thriller “chase” to escape his enemies.

Professor Murray Pittock, from the University of Glasgow, is to paint a fascinating picture of a Scot who was not just a literary legend, but of a man who was well ahead of his time on issues that still resonate today from Scottish nationalism to the rights of indigenous peoples.

Prof Pittock will present the Buchan 150 Lecture as part of the celebrations this year of the author’s birth in Perth on August 26, 1875. He studied at the University of Glasgow and Oxford before working both as a barrister and journalist.

Prof Pittock said: “What is fascinating is Buchan, who wrote over 100 books and 1,000 articles, was also juggling careers as a barrister, war correspondent, MP and even Governor General of Canada.

“But while John Buchan’s storytelling prowess has continued to keep his books in the public eye, what I find fascinating is that his political writing and thinking was so ahead of his time.

“For example in the early 20th century, he wrote about the importance of Scottish devolution, world diplomatic relations, anti-Semitism and indigenous peoples’ rights. Many of his speeches and writing could be mistaken from modern day thought leadership pieces.

“He had a central role in many Scottish institutions, was an early supporter of Hugh MacDiarmid and an opponent of anti-Irish racism in Scotland, as well as campaigning for votes for women and an end to slum housing. He linked education to democracy and was a fierce opponent of authoritarian populism. By the beginning of World War II, he was on the SS list as a Jewish sympathiser.”

Mr Buchan said in his autobiography that he believed half the misunderstandings between Britain and America were “due to the fact that neither will regard the other as what it is … a foreign country”.

He pushed hard to have US president Franklin D Roosevelt chair a European peace conference, only to be resisted by then British prime minister Neville Chamberlain. Mr Buchan also described the Treaty of Versailles, which ended the First World War, as “the most half-witted thing ever perpetrated” – the severe sanctions of The Treaty created much resentment in Germany, which was exploited by Adolf Hitler in his rise to power at the helm of Nazi Germany.

During the First World War, he served as a war correspondent for The Times as well as working for the Foreign Office. In early 1917 he became director of information - in charge of propaganda - a department that was made into a Ministry in 1918. He later served as a Conservative and Unionist Member of Parliament. In 1935, he was appointed Governor-General of Canada and became Lord Tweedsmuir.

He died in 1940 at the age of 64.