John Joy Bell known professionally as J.J. Bell, was a journalist and author.
After taking up journalism, Bell worked for the Glasgow Evening Times, and as sub-editor of the Scots Pictorial. His articles depicted the life of working-class Glaswegians, and were often written in the vernacular. He created the character of 'MacGreegor' for his Evening Times articles, and the stories were so popular that they were published in book form, and later made into a film. Bell has often been criticised for being overly sentimental and, however, it is also said that his vernacular was an accurate reflection of the reality, which is partly what made them popular. Among his works are: A Kingdom of Dreams (1911), Courtin' Christina (1913), Wee Macgreegor Enlists (1915), and Till the Clock Stops (1917).
Contents
Till the Clock Stops
Wee Macgreegor Enlists
Wee Macgregor is a boy of around seven or eight from the decent and kind sort of working-class family with which Glasgow's East End abounds, now and then. He has a wee sister called Jeannie, A Maw called Lizzie and a Paw called John.
He had his genesis, 10 years before author J.J. Bell put pen to paper in 1901, in an overheard fragment of conversation on a Glasgow Fair Saturday on a boat going doon the watter when a distracted mother of five said to her eldest, ''Macgregor, tak yer paw's haun, or ye'll get nae carvies tae yer tea''. Carvies are, of course, sugared caraway seeds, unfashionable these days except in Indian restaurants, but a widely used breath-sweetener and children's treat at the time.
