Three Scottish Poets

Canongate Classics #45

by Norman MacCaig, Edwin Morgan, Liz Lochhead

This book contains a selection of the finest work from three of Scotland's best-known and best-loved poets: Norman MacCaig, Edwin Morgan, and Liz Lochhead. They have fascinated and charmed thousands of readers and listeners across Europe and America with the energy, humor, and compassion of their vision. MacCaig's memorable celebrations of the physical world and the tragic-comic note of many of his short lyrics contrast strikingly with Morgan's poems on the modern world and city life. Liz Lochhead writes with an alert and sensitive eye on personal relationships and women's experience of them. The book provides an invaluable introduction to modern Scottish poetry and to the poets who are arguably its greatest practitioners.

Genres: Poetry, Scotland, Anthologies

117 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2001

About the author

MacCaig was born in Edinburgh and divided his time, for the rest of his life, between his native city and Assynt in the Scottish Highlands. He registered as a conscientious objector during World War II. In 1967 he was appointed Fellow in Creative Writing at Edinburgh. He became a reader in poetry in 1970, at the University of Stirling.

Reviews

[hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

a nice collection, well structured with a brief general introduction, and short introductions to each of the three poets before a selection of their poetry.

the poetry engaged me more as the collection progressed, and it was nice that it worked that way thru the three authors. tho I kinda suspected and happily anticipated that I'd enjoy Liz Lochhead the best 🙂

accessed as an RNIB audiobook, nicely read by David Monteath.

[Stanley (Stan) Enya]

Wow turns out I love Norman MacCaig. 'Ineducable Me' is really incredible. I didn't really connect with the majority of Morgan's poems. I quite liked some of Lochhead's but I feel like I've read better stuff she's written not included in this selection.

Hard to rate when I had such mixed reactions, but the MacCaig bits are definitely a 4 at least.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful little primer as MacCaig, Morgan and Lochhead are English set text poets (in Scotland). Several of the book's selected poems feature on the list and it also comes with a thumbnail sketch of each writer. Favourites include Norman MacCaig's Incident, Aunt Julia and Blind Horse; Edwin Muir's In the Snack Bar, The Mummy and One Cigarette; Liz Lochhead's Box Room, Stooge Song, The Bargain and The Other Woman.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice poetry collection that introduces you to some of the most important poets of 20th century Scotland. :)

[Jakub Sláma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The raw cold gets colder.
There doesn't seem to be a lot to say.
I wish we could either mend things
or learn to throw them away.

Liz Lochhead, "The bargain"

[Leann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would adore this book if nothing else were in it but Norman MacGaig's "Incident."