Immortal Memories: A Compilation of Toasts to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns as Delivered at Burns Suppers Around the World [Hardcover]

john cairney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003 | ISBN-10: 1842820095 | ISBN-13: 978-1842820094

The annual Burns Supper, held on or around his birthday, January 25, has become something of a cult in virtually every country in the world where ‘Scottish’ is spoken – and even where it is not. This is an occasion when people gather around a dinner table to give tribute to a Scottish poet who died more than two hundred years ago. It really is an extraordinary phenomenon.

Thus begins John Cairney’s latest work focusing on Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns. To be asked to deliver the ‘Immortal Memory’, the chief toast and centrepiece of the traditional Burns Supper, is recognised as a privilege cherished by Burns enthusiasts the world over. Immortal Memories is an extensive collection of these toasts, spanning two hundred years from the first Burns Supper in Alloway in 1801 to the Millennium Burns Suppers of 2001.

For over thirty years Cairney has been recognised as the embodiment of Burns thanks to his portrayal of the poet in the 1968 Scottish TV production Burns. He has delivered toasts ‘To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns’ or performed his Burns one-man-show in almost every country in the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOHN CAIRNEY, ‘The Man Who Played Robert Burns’, is an actor, writer, lecturer and football fan. After National Service 1948-50 Cairney enrolled at the Glasgow College of Drama and the University of Glasgow simultaneously, graduating in drama in 1953. In 1989 he gained an MLitt from Glasgow University for a History of Solo Theatre and in 1994 a PhD from Victoria University, Wellington for his study of R.L. Stevenson and Theatre.

Cairney’s professional association with Burns began in 1965 with the one man show, There Was A Man, by Tom Wright. In 1968 he wrote and starred in a six-part serial of the Burns story for Scottish TV, Burns. From 1975-79 his company Shanter Productions organised a Burns festival in Ayr. From 1974-81 he toured the world with his solo version of The Robert Burns Story and from 1981-85 toured with his wife, New Zealand actress Alannah O’Sullivan, in The Burns Experience. In 1986 Shanter Productions presented the first full-length modern Burns musical There Was A Lad. In 1996, in commemoration of the Burns International Year, a video, Robert Burns: An Immortal Memory, was issued, written and narrated by Cairney.

Prior to and interspersed between these performances he has played a multitude of other characters on stage, radio, television and film. His films include Jason and the Argonauts, Victim and A Night to Remember. Since 1990 Cairney has lived in Auckland, New Zealand. He has written two autobiographies and continues to be very much in demand as a lecturer, writer and consultant on all aspects of Burns.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 425 pages
• Publisher: Luath Press Limited (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842820095
• ISBN-13: 978-1842820094
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,869,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for Burns lovers, January 15, 2007

By 

Jimmy S. (Deepest New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Immortal Memories: A Compilation of Toasts to the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns as Delivered at Burns Suppers Around the World (Hardcover)

R=This book is a comprehensive review of that ancient and lasting annaul geathering : the Burns Supper. The centerpiece of the event is the toast to the poet himself, known as the Immortal Memory. The speech takes the form of a special tribute and commentary as to why this 18th century poet farmer from an obscure corner of the globe remains so popular and relevant today.

This book is a superb aid to anyone invited to give this speech, and in fact to anyone who has fallen under the spell of Burns' magic ability to write poetry.