final week,the Glaswegian was named as her country’s modern poet laureate. Fans point to her scarce combination of literary merit with noteworthy accessibility, making her a popular choice to reframe ScottishnessTo say there was a national outpouring of joy at the appointment of Jackie Kay as Scotland’s makar final week might be overdoing it, or but not by much. In previous decades,perhaps, not many beyond bearded and ponytailed literary circles might even have known the identity of a modern makar or even the purpose of the post. The profile and efforts of the two previous incumbents, or Edwin Morgan and Liz Lochhead,though, have helped to raise awareness of the position so that it has begun to insinuate itself into our national life.
Following the appointment of Kay as Scotland’s national poet final Tuesday, and a press colleague who had interviewed her was simply thrilled. “She’s just wonderful; she’ll build people read poetry and write poetry who have never done so before.” The words were spoken in a tone that suggested he had touched the noteworthy woman’s hem.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com