Robert Burns

by David Daiches

'In the later twentieth century Robert Burns was sorely in need of commentators to provide fuller analysis of a figure whose cultural reputation too often overshadowed his literary achievement. The brilliance of David Daiches as a literary critic filled much of the gap. His readings are a cornerstone of modern Burns studies.' Gerry Carruthers, Director, Centre for Robert Burns Studies, University of Glasgow An Edinburgh graduate in the 1930s, the early part of David Daiches' long and distinguished academic career was spent in the United States. However, after spells at Chicago and Cornell Universities, in 1951 he returned to Cambridge as a Lecturer in English. Ten years later he chose to leave Cambridge for the new University of Sussex where he was the first Professor and Dean in the School of English Studies. Retiring in 1977, he returned to Edinburgh where he continued to play an exceptionally active role in Scotland's intellectual and cultural life until his death in 2005. A polymath of English letters, Daiches' scholarly interests ranged extremely widely, but in no field is his influence more creative and enduring than in that of Scottish Literature. Our understanding of Scotland's literary culture in the eighteenth century, of Burns, of Scott, of Stevenson and McDiarmid, was transformed by his work. Originally published in 1951, his Robert Burns is a brilliant example of his ground-breaking scholarship and criticism at its most illuminating.

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 1957

About the author

David Daiches was a Scottish literary historian and literary critic, scholar and writer. He wrote extensively on English literature, Scottish literature and Scottish culture.

He was born in Sunderland, into a Jewish family with a Lithuanian background - the subject of his 1956 memoir, Two Worlds: An Edinburgh Jewish Childhood. He moved to Edinburgh while still a young child, about the end of World War I, where his father, Rev. Dr. Salis Daiches was rabbi to Edinburgh's Jewish community. He studied at George Watson's College and won a scholarship to University of Edinburgh where he won the Elliot prize. He went to Oxford where he became the Elton exhibitioner, and was elected Fellow of Balliol College in 1936.

During World War II, he worked for the British Embassy in Washington, DC, producing pamphlets for the British Information Service and drafting speeches on British institutions and foreign policy.

Daiches' first published work was The Place of Meaning in Poetry, published in 1935. He was a prolific writer, producing works on English literature, Scottish literature, literary history and criticism as well as the broader role of literature in society and culture.

Daiches was the father of Jenni Calder, also a Scottish literary historian.

Reviews

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, lovely review of Robert Burns life and career. A pocket gem.