Welcome to my web site
I’m Fiona Rintoul, a writer and translator based on the Isle of Harris in Scotland. I'm the author of The Leipzig Affair, a novel set in the former East Germany, and Whisky Island, an exploration of the Isle of Islay and its superlative whisky distilleries. The Leipzig Affair was serialised on BBC R4’s Book at Bedtime and shortlisted in the Saltire awards. Whisky Island was recognised in the Fortnum & Mason food and drink awards. I translate from French and German into English, and ran a European financial magazine before becoming a full-time author.
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What's new
Exploring the ‘Second World’ in Halle
It was a great pleasure to read from The Leipzig Affair at the beautiful Literaturhaus in Halle on 18 September as part of a conference on the 'Second World' in ...
Buy Whisky Island
With stunning images by Jura-based photographer Konrad Borkowski, Whisky Island captures the magic of the Islay whisky distilleries and the personality of the people who run them. It is currently out of print due to the collapse of Freight Books, but you can buy one of the remaining signed copies while we plan a new edition.
Whisky Island
Buy The Leipzig Affair
Set in East Germany in the dying days of the Cold War, The Leipzig Affair is a tale of love, betrayal and redemption. I drew on my own experiences of studying at the Karl-Marx-University in Leipzig to write it. The actor Douglas Henshall read the male part when the book was serialised on BBC R4.
The Leipzig Affair
Take my tour of Leipzig
Visiting the fascinating city of Leipzig? With my Voicemap tour, you can join me on a journey into Leipzig's communist past. Walk with me through this vibrant city's mediaeval centre and discover how it looked in the 1980s under the East German regime and what it was like to live there then.
Leipzig Tour
Fiction & non-fiction
As a journalist turned author, I have published everything from experimental poetry to financial reports. My latest novel, which I’ve just completed, is about an imaginary religion called Indigo and is set in Calton, a fictionalised version of Glasgow. I’m currently working on a non-fiction book about the Isles of Harris and Lewis, which will be published next year by Birlinn.
MY BOOKS
Copywriting and training
A professional writer can bring clarity and polish to any writing project, helping clients to get their message across. I take on a small amount of copywriting and writing training work. I’ve provided writing training to some of the world’s leading companies and have worked on a diverse range of copywriting and corporate translation projects.
Work With MeTranslation
A linguist by training, I am fluent in French and German. I’ve translated complex business and art texts for a range of clients, as well as poetry and literature. Outside Verdun, my new translation of German-Jewish writer Arnold Zweig’s epic novel Erziehung vor Verdun, introduced a new English-speaking audience to an overlooked first world war literary classic.
TRANSLATION