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Robin Jenkins's greatest novel is a powerful examination of good
and evil, set against the backdrop of a Scottish estate during
World War II. With its themes of class-conflict, war, evil and
envy, this is a towering work of fiction that remains as relevant
today as when it was first published. Suspenseful, dark and
unforgettable, it is one of the masterpieces of modern Scottish
literature. Iain Crichton Smith's SCOTNOTE study guide is a skilful
and intelligent guide to the themes and characters of the novel,
and explores the religious, philosophical and moral questions that
it poses. Suitable for senior school pupils and students of all
ages.
Iain Crichton Smith was a prolific and accomplished writer in
English and Gaelic, as well as a capable dramatist, again in both
languages, but it is as a poet above all that his reputation will
endure. His principal collections are in English: Thistles and
Roses (1961), Deer on the High Hills (1962), The Law and the Grace
(1965), Hamlet in Autumn (1972), The Village and Other Poems (1989)
and The Leaf and the Marble (1989); and in Gaelic Biobuill is
Sanasan-Reice (Bibles and Adverts) (1965), Eadar Fealla-Dha is
Glaschu (Between Fun and Glasgow) (1974) and Na h-Eilthirich (The
Exiles) (1983). In them his subject matter deals with the
Highlands, Scotland and the wider world and demonstrates
familiarity with the literature of Europe and America and the
literary movements of his time. This double CD contains recordings
of Iain Crichton Smith reading his poems. Introductions and
commentary by John Blackburn cover the major themes of his career:
the struggle between light and dark and his ambivalent attitude
towards religion, sometimes oppressive, sometimes full of grace. It
is an excellent resource for home or classroom study, as well as
providing an opportunity to hear one of the great poets of the
twentieth century reading his own work.
As a child Iain Crichton Smith was raised speaking Gaelic on the
island of Lewis. At school in Stornoway he spoke English. Like many
islanders before and since, his culture was divided: two languages
and two histories entailing exile. His divided perspective
delineated the tyranny of history and religion, of the cramped life
of small communities, and gave him a compassionate eye for the
struggle of women and men in a world defined by denials. After the
Dance proves that big themes - love, history, power, submission,
death - can be addressed without the foil of irony and acquire
resonance when given a local habitation and a voice that risks
pure, humane, impassioned speech. This updated edition includes the
story 'Home'
The House with the Green Shutters is a dark, provocative novel,
shining a harsh and unforgiving light into the inner recesses of
small-town Scotland at the turn of the last century. Written as a
response to social change, and as an antidote to the sentimentality
of the 'Kailyard' school, the author called it "a brutal and bloody
work" - although a thread of sly humour runs through the book as
well. Iain Crichton Smith's Scotnote explores this post-romantic
masterpiece through a precise analysis of themes, characters,
structure and language, and is ideal for senior school pupils and
students.
Growing up on the Isle of Lewis, Iain Crichton Smith spoke only
Gaelic until he was five. But at school in Bayble and then
Stornoway, everything had to be in English. Like many islanders
before and since, his culture is divided: two languages, two
histories entailing exile, a central theme of his poetry. His
divided perspective sharply delineates the tyranny of history and
religion, of the cramped life of small communities; it gives him a
tender eye for the struggle of women and men in a world defined by
denials. Deer on the High Hills: Selected Poems includes forty
years' work and proves that big themes - love, history, power,
submission, death - can be addressed without the foil of irony and
acquire resonance when given a local habitation and a voice that
risks pure, impassioned speech. Editor John Greening provides
indexes, a preface and an essay on the life and work of this
important poet.
A true modern classic and inspirational Scottish novel. 'Vividly
depicted ... sheer beauty' OBSERVER 'A masterpiece of simplicity'
FINANCIAL TIMES 'A simple but noble book ... this deserves to be
read' SCOTSMAN 'When she rose in the morning the house at first
seemed to be the same. The sun shone through the curtains of her
window. On the floor it turned to minute particles like water
dancing. Nevertheless, she felt uneasy ... What had the girl said?
Something about the 'burning of houses'. They just couldn't put
people out of their houses, and then burn the houses down. No one
had ever heard of that before. Not in the country...' In this
modern classic, from one of Scotland's greatest writers, CONSIDER
THE LILIES captures the thoughts and memories of an old woman who
has lived all her life within the narrow confines of her community
during one of the cruellest episodes of Scottish history - the
Highland Clearances.
"Ends and Beginnings" is Iain Crichton Smith's most ambitious
collection for years. It begins in elegy, with the exiles and
deaths about which he writes so memorably, and progresses through
place, history and positive change.
After a trip to the Golan Heights, he conceived a major poem on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, using an unaccustomed Biblical idiom.
He considers the isolated people of his native Lewis, and those
isolated in a wider culture-scholars, writers, lovers, the
old-whose need for communion is thwarted by estranging disciplines
or by the depredations of history.
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