Scotland's Books A History of Scottish Literature

by Crawford, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780195386233
• ISBN10: 019538623X
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780199888979
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-01-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• More Book Details

Summary

From Treasure Island to Trainspotting, Scotland's rich literary tradition has influenced writing across centuries and cultures far beyond its borders. Here, for the first time, is a single volume presenting the glories of fifteen centuries of Scottish literature. In Scotland's Books the much loved poet Robert Crawford tells the story of Scottish imaginative writing and its relationship to the country's history. Stretching from the medieval masterpieces of St. Columba's Iona - the earliest surviving Scottish work - to the energetic world of twenty-first-century writing by authors such as Ali Smith and James Kelman, this outstanding account traces the development of literature in Scotland and explores the cultural, linguistic and literary heritage of the nation. It includes extracts from the writing discussed to give a flavor of the original work, and its new research ranges from specially made translations of ancient poems to previously unpublished material from the Scottish Enlightenment and interviews with living writers. Informative and readable, this is the definitive single-volume guide to the marvelous legacy of Scottish literature.

Author Biography

The poet and critic Robert Crawford was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1959 and is Professor of Modern Scottish Literature at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. His Selected Poems was published by Jonathan Cape in 2005 and awarded the Special Commendation of the UK Poetry Book Society.

Table of Contents

List of IllustrationsThe Illustrations in This BookAcknowledgementsWeb Resources and Further ReadingIntroduction1. Praise2. Liberty3. Reformation4. The Staggering State5. Ever Green6. The Scottish Enlightenment7. The Age of Burns8. Volcano, Wizard, Bankrupt, Sky9. Scotland and London10. Renaissance11. Hard-wearing Flowers12. Globalization and Smirr of RainNotesIndex