Health Fears Over Sir Sean As New Book is Delayed

By PATRICIA KANE

A BOOK by Sir Sean Connery about his life and his views on Scotland has been delayed by a year, prompting new fears for his health.

Connery’s Country had been due for publication last September to mark the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Union between Scotland and England.

But the 76-year-old star’s health has been an issue in recent months and the book, which he is co-writing with Scottish filmmaker Murray Grigor and is to be published by Edinburgh-based Canongate and Polygon, has fallen well behind schedule.

Yesterday, a spokesman for the publishers confirmed: ‘The reason it is delayed is because they are still writing the book.

‘The word is that they are making great progress and it looks as though it will be published in the autumn of 2008.’ The book will draw on archive photographs and images, with chapters exploring Scottish humour, literature, art, architecture, sport and, above all, Edinburgh, where Connery was born, bred and famously worked as a milkman.

Grigor worked with Connery on the award-winning documentary Sean Connery’s Edinburgh and the book grew out of a documentary project.

Fears for the actor’s health have been growing for the past three months since he pulled out of hosting a celebrity fashion show after undergoing medical tests. He also declined to play the father of Indiana Jones for the fourth film in the series.

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