An Anthology of Scottish Women Poets [Hardcover]

Catherine Kerrigan (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0748601252 | ISBN-13: 978-0748601257 | Publication Date: December 18, 1991

More than one hundred poets are brought together in this unique anthology, encompassing work from the Middle Ages to the present day in Gaelic, Scots and English. The introduction provides the background and context to the different traditions in Scotland including the oral/ballad, Gaelic bardic and modern tradition and attempts to identify recurrent themes.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An intense direct expression of female experiences, both of what unites and divides women, and of what is particularly Scottish and universal ...This anthology breaks new ground. The range of this collection is impressive. An intense direct expression of female experiences, both of what unites and divides women, and of what is particularly Scottish and universal ...This anthology breaks new ground. The range of this collection is impressive. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press (December 18, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0748601252
• ISBN-13: 978-0748601257
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,562,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars `it is in poetry that we find the most sustained tradition of women's writing.', April 4, 2008

By 

J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Anthology of Scottish Women Poets (Paperback)

I had to have this anthology. Not just because it is anthology of women poets, nor because they are Scottish women poets. No, the real reason I needed to own this book is the inclusion of poems in the Gaelic tradition.

Some personal favourites here:
The March of the Cameron Men (by Mary Maxwell Campbell). Here is the first verse:
`There's many a man of the Cameron Clan
That has follow'd his chief to the field;
For a Cameron never can yield.
I hear the pibroch sounding, sounding,
Deep o'er the mountain and glen;
While light-springing steps are trampling the heath,
`Tis the march of the Cameron men.'

Set to music, it is a song that many Camerons (and others) will recognise.

And `The Four Marys' by Mrs Walker, which starts:
`Last nicth there were four Marys
This night the'll be but three
There was Mary Sitten and Mary Beten
And Mary Kermyckle and me.'

The Gaelic poetry has been beautifully translated by Meg Bateman. As a reader with very limited ability to read Gaelic, I can appreciate some of the poetry in either language. Perhaps I'll be able to improve my Gaelic reading ability as a consequence.

There is also a poem, by Florence Cortis-Stanford, entitled ` To Emily Bronte'. The second verse particularly appeals to me:

`I am alone, all others gone
Into the warmth and light,
Again once more, as oft before,
I hear the voice of night.'

Oh, this is a wonderful book and a welcome addition to my poetry shelf.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars Anthology of Scottish Women Poets, March 17, 2011

By 

oakopenings - See all my reviews

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This review is from: An Anthology of Scottish Women Poets (Hardcover)

An excellent anthology, one of the best I've seen. All the way from folk poetry to modern poetry, and everything in between. Some include the original Gaelic text, a blessing for those who know that language, I am sure. I teach poetry in community courses, and almost everything in this book was new to me. Excellent and very helpful introductory material, too. Thanks to Catherine Kerrigan for putting it together.