John Keeman was born on Finnieston Street, Glasgow on the 28th of April 1944. His father, also John, was a shipyard worker and his mother, Jeanie, was a one eyed tearoom waitress. He attended Finnieston Street Primary and Woodside Secondary where he was a below-average pupil with a high absent rate. Despite this John graduated with a 2.1 honours Degree in Law and Public Administration at the age of 50 from Glasgow University.

 

He worked in a wide range of jobs, from coalman to Research Manager for BBC Information. He wrote many short stories and many radio dramas. The Italian Connection, his first novel, was published in 2013 and his memoir In the Shadow of the Crane was published in 2020.

 

He lived in Irvine in the last years of his life, along with his wife Janet. Sadly John died after a long illness in 2025.