Edinburgh Book of Twentieth-century Scottish Poetry

Selected for the pleasure and interest they offer these 400 or so poems from more than 150 poets span the entire century. While the major figures - MacDiarmid pre-eminently, and others such as Norman MacCaig, Iain Crichton Smith, and George Mackay Brown - are generously represented, there are many other voices, from the master balladeer of the Yukon, Robert Service, to the internationally-known psychiatrist R D Laing, the distinguished economist Sir Alec Cairncross, and the troubled but deeply eloquent Rayne Mackinnon. Women are given due prominence. Readers unfamiliar with Helen Adam will experience a frisson at the sexual tensions of her ballad-poems while Naomi Mitchison reveals her intimate self. The admirable Marion Angus, Violet Jacob, and Helen B Cruickshank show their talents, while contemporary poets Liz Lochhead, Carol Ann Duffy, Janet Paisley, Jackie Kay, and many others, are well represented. In a century of unprecedented change, the poems also act as a commentary on their times - and Scotland's war poets such as Charles Hamilton Sorley and Hamish Henderson, with their anger and eloquence, are included.With its lively engagement with the real world as well as the world of private creativity, this anthology will contribute to an ongoing sense of Scottish cultural identity. Key Features * Includes more than 400 poems (compared to the 300 in the Faber volume) * Represents more than 150 poets (compared to the 70 or so in the Faber volume) * EUP's anthology spans the entire C20th century (while the Faber volume was published in the early 1990s) * The EUP volume includes more women poets than the Faber volume * The EUP volume is alphabetically arranged for ease of use (compared to the chronological arrangement of the Faber volume) * The EUP anthology includes biographjcal notes on each of the poets (which the Faber volume does not have)

I cannot imagine any reader who will not find seomthing to treasure in this anthology. Its selection principles are generous and expansive! it provides a welcome counterbalance in its promotion of female writers, as well as the occasional dip into more 'popular' forms. A pleasing, pleasure-filled book, with lots of surprises. -- Professor Alan Riach Editors Maurice Lindsay and Lesley Duncan have provided a concise and lively introduction to The Edinburgh Book of Twentieth Century Scottish Poetry, giving an informative historical context for non-Scottish readers. A surprisingly diverse compilation. I cannot imagine any reader who will not find seomthing to treasure in this anthology. Its selection principles are generous and expansive! it provides a welcome counterbalance in its promotion of female writers, as well as the occasional dip into more 'popular' forms. A pleasing, pleasure-filled book, with lots of surprises.

Maurice Lindsay, CBE, was a senior figure of Scottish letters, a poet and literary commentator. His seminal collection of Modern Scottish Poetry: An Anthology of the Scottish Renaissance 1920-1945 was followed by the influential, jointly edited Scottish Poetry series of new writing and by other works of scholarship as well as by his own volumes of poetry. Lesley Duncan is a graduate of Glasgow and Pennsylvania State universities, a journalist and poetry editor of The Herald newspaper. In spring 2003 she broke in the national press the story of the discovery of hundreds of unknown poems by Hugh MacDiarmid. Her own poetry, much of it reflecting contemporary events and issues, has been regularly published by The Herald over the past 15 years.