Modern Scottish Collections

Today is National Poetry Day! To celebrate, the National Library of Scotland has produced a set of web pages featuring poems from the pamphlets shortlisted for the 2012 Callum Macdonald Memorial Award. Each page includes poetry from the shortlisted pamphlet, along with biographical information about the poet.

We hope that you enjoy the quality and variety of poetry on offer at our National Poetry Day 2012 web pages. There are poems in Scots, Gaelic, and English, and the subject matter covers a variety of topics, from Hadrian’s Wall to the Museum of Anatomy at the University of Glasgow. Thank you to the poets and publishers who allowed us to use their work.

If you would like to read poetry from other years, please take a look at our previous National Poetry Day web pages.

You can find out more about the Callum Macdonald Memorial Award at the Scottish Pamphlet Poetry website and more about National Poetry Day at the official website.

This weekend sees the 120th anniversary of the birth of one of our most famous Scottish poets – widely known as Hugh MacDiarmid, the author of A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle.

MacDiarmid was born as Christopher Grieve in Langholm, Dumfriesshire, on 11 August 1892, and spent much of his early career as a journalist with various Scottish newspapers. His reputation as a poet and editor of literary journals was often equalled by his iconoclastic views and opinions on politics and literature.

After a largely itinerant life and career, he settled in 1951 at Brownsbank cottage near Biggar with his second wife Valda, which is now maintained by the Biggar Museum Trust as a writer’s retreat in his memory.

In 1967 the National Library of Scotland celebrated his 75th birthday with an exhibition, and we hold an important collection of his manuscripts. He died in 1978.

Here is the poet himself, talking about his life on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1972 in the film No Fellow Traveller from our collections at the Scottish Screen Archive.

(Image from Biggar Museum Trust)

Scottish interest publications recently added to the collections at the National Library of Scotland include The art of modern tapestry: Dovecot Studios since 1912 edited by Elizabeth Cumming and published by Lund Humphries. This beautifully illustrated volume celebrates one hundred years of the Edinburgh based Dovecot Studios tapestry workshop and gallery.

To Auckland by the Ganges, edited and introduced by Robert M. Grogan, tells the story of a Scottish family’s emigration through the journal kept by David Buchanan during his three and a half month voyage from Gravesend to Auckland. David Buchanan, a Scottish journalist, sailed to New Zealand with his children on the ship ‘The Ganges’ in 1863. During the voyage he kept a diary, which was published in the Glasgow Herald twice weekly. Published by Whittles, this book makes accessible Buchanan’s fascinating journal entries on life aboard a mid nineteenth century sailing ship.

Bevel is a collection of poetry in English and Scots by Scottish poet William Letford. William also works as a roofer and recently received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust which allowed him to spend three months in Northern Italy helping to restore a medieval village. Bevel, published by Carcanet Press, is William’s debut poetry collection.

Tearoom delights : a little guide to delightful tearooms of Perthshire, Angus and Dundee by Lorna McInnes allows the reader to discover the most charming tearooms in this part of Scotland. Published by Teacups Press, this book reviews the tearooms whilst also providing practical information such as opening hours and location.

Last summer we added to the collection some lovely Robert Burns works by the lettering artist Liz Mathews .

Today’s blog entry from Liz Mathews gives a great impression of the delights hidden within the covers of these Robert Burns inspired artist’s books.

It is that time of the year again when we ponder the difference between a tumshie, a neep, and a swede.

Appropriately enough on our national day for Robert Burns, I am meeting Michael Hance the Director of the Scots Language Centre, to discuss their work and Scots language digital resources, and to look at ways we might work together using oor ain collections. Here’s some classy interpretations of Burns gathered together by the Scots Language Centre – a wee sing-song.

Meanwhile poets are following the Burns tradition in his old home and writing on pub windows again in Dumfries

And here’s a reminder from our collections at the Scottish Screen Archive that not all Burns Suppers are the same … here’s tae the Immortal Memory … and tae Cliff Richard!

A good selection of Scottish interest material was received by the National Library of Scotland this week, including John Byrne: art and life by Robert Hewison. Scottish artist and playwright John Byrne is perhaps best known as the writer of the award winning television series Tutti Frutti and acclaimed plays such as The slab boys. However, Byrne is also a successful artist and during his career has designed record covers and book jackets as well as theatre sets. This illustrated account of Byrne’s life and work examines the substantial contribution he has made to the literary and visual arts in Scotland. John Byrne: art and life is published by Lund Humphries. You can read more about John Byrne and his play The slab boys on our 12 key Scottish plays web feature.

Golf on the rocks: a journey round Scotland’s island courses by Gary Sutherland (published by Hachette) follows the author as he travels around the Scottish islands playing golf on some of Scotland’s lesser known and most remote golf courses in locations such as Arran, Skye, Orkney and Shetland. As well as describing the golf courses, the author also gives a general account of his travels and the people (and animals) he encounters both on and off the course. You can read more about Scottish golf on our Golf in Scotland web feature and find many references to items about golf in Scotland on Scottish Bibliographies Online.

The work of celebrated Scottish Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean is the subject of Peter Mackay’s book Sorley MacLean, published by the Research Institute for Irish and Scottish Studies. An English language introduction to MacLean, this book examines his poetry in cultural and historical context, providing in depth analysis of several key works.

Sorley MacLean’s Dàin do Eimhir agus Dàin Eile is regarded as the most important 20th century work in Scottish Gaelic. Sangs tae Eimhir by Derrick McClure provides a parallel translation of Dàin do Eimhir into Scots, allowing readers to view the original Gaelic text side by side with McClure’s Scots translation. Sangs tae Eimhir is published by Acair. You can find references to items by and about Sorley Mclean on Scottish Bibliographies Online.

I’ve been recording four short films on the Scots language here at the National Library of Scotland. It is a real mix of old and new, though there was no chance of reading some passages from contemporary works of Scottish fiction such as Trainspotting by Irving Welsh where the guid Scots words are outnumbered by the four-letter ones. If you’d like to hear more about Scots without any swear words, check out YouTube.

Remember that this weekend you have the opportunity to tell the Census folk about your familiarity with Scots. Why not have a look at the great work the Scots Language Centre has done to highlight the Scots language for Census 2011 via Aye Can! ?

(Cover image from Haud yer wheesht! Neil Wilson Publishing )

A rare 1923 publication has just arrived here at NLS, Football in verse containing over 90 poems by J. Aitken Brown, mostly about Edinburgh’s favourite teams Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian. Prominently advertised inside is that alternative to the terraces of Tynecastle or Easter Road, the King’s Theatre, which features in a couthy Scots poem, reminding folk that the theatre is an all-year, all-weather attraction. Photograph by Convery Auctions.

Another varied selection of new Scottish material was received by the National Library of Scotland this week. One item of interest was Andrew Dodds : the Midlothian Poet, a new collection of poetry edited and introduced by Dr Kenneth Bogle from Local Studies at Midlothian Council. Andrew Dodds (1872-1959) was the son of a miner and spent most of his life in Pathhead, Midlothian.

Also new in this week was The Highland bagpipe : music, history, tradition edited by Joshua Dickson. This book aims to separate fact from myth and explore the evolution of the Scottish bagpipe and bagpipe music over the centuries.

A new title by Scottish children’s author Debi Gliori was also received this week. Witch baby and me after dark continues the story of Lily and her one year old sister Daisy who Lily believes is a ‘witch baby’ with magical powers! Debi, who lives near Edinburgh, has written and illustrated many books for children and has been shortlisted for several major prizes.

Another interesting selection of items was received by the National Library of Scotland this week, including the paperback edition of Mercenaries by Jack Ludlow, the pen name of Scottish author David Donachie. This is the first novel in the Conquest trilogy about Norman/French warfare in the 11th century.

Also new in this week was Scottish sea kayak trail by Simon Willis. This book describes a 500km kayak route along the west coast of Scotland from the Isle of Gigha to Ullapool and covers all aspects of the route, from equipment and safety to wildlife and accommodation.

New poetry collections received this week included Johnny Aathin, a collection of poetry in Scots by Scottish poet and winner of the 2005 Callum Macdonald Memorial Award, William Hershaw. Staying with poetry, this week we also received This house, this poem … this fresh hypothesis : a brief history of the Scottish Poetry Library tracing the 25 year history of the Scottish Poetry Library.