The farmer's boy from Ayrshire who went on to be the most acclaimed of all Scottish poets, celebrated around the world, Robert Burns is a greater and more varied artist than those that know him only through annual Burns' Suppers and choruses of his 'Auld Lang Syne' at New Year could imagine. This new selection by Ian Rankin of verses and lyrics from Scotland's national poet, the 'Heaven-taught ploughman', reveals a writer capable of evoking tremendous sympathetic power from his readers and with an easy, astonishing command of the sounds and rhythms of both standard English and the evocative Scots tongue. It also reveals an artist of incredible range. His 'Tam O' Shanter', with its midnight pursuit of witches from a grisly graveyard dance, is gripping, fantastical and funny in equal measure, 'Is there for honest poverty' beautifully expresses the egalitarian spirit by which Burns became a political hero for so many, and sentiments both romantic ('Ae Fond Kiss') and bawdy ('The Fornicator') co-exist in this canny selection of the best of the Scottish Bard.
Author
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. Robert Burns (also known as Robin) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language. He also wrote in English and a "light" Scots, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement and after his death became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism. A cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish Diaspora around the world, celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. As well as making original compositions, Burns collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His Auld Lang Syne is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and Scots Wha Hae has served as an unofficial national anthem. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today, include A Red, Red Rose, A Man's A Man for A' That, To a Louse, To a Mouse, The Battle of Sherramuir, Tam o' Shanter and Ae Fond Kiss.
