This week’s poetry news round up looks at the new Scottish makar and the birthplace of Byron’s first published works.
New Scottish Makar Appointed
Peter Mackay, a Lewis born poet, has been appointed to the role of Scottish Makar. He will make history as the first Gaelic poet to hold the position.
Mackay says that he is very much looking forward to being able to use this new role as the national poet to help him champion his native tongue, but that this will not be at the expense of other languages. He writes predominately in Gaelic and English, but he can also write in Scots. He feels that as Scotland is a multi-lingual nation, it is very important that everyone finds ways in which they can speak to each other.
Makars were originally medieval bards or poets, and they were often linked to the royal court with the expectation that they would create poetry for occasions of significant importance. For the last two decades, makars have been appointed by cities in Scotland on their own basis however in 2004 the decision was made to appoint a poet on a national level.
The first poet who was appointed was Edwin Morgan. He has been followed by Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and the outgoing makar Kathleen James. There was much discussion when the first makar was appointed to the role over whether the name would be understood however it has stuck.
Dr Mackay is a lecturer at the University of St Andrews. He also takes part in many of the spoken word events that take place all over Scotland. When speaking about his appointment to the role of makar he said that he is concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the funding that is given to the arts.
In addition to receiving the title of makar, Dr Mackay will also receive a small stipend which is paid by Scottish Poetry Library. He will be required to write several commissions during his time in the role, which will be for a range of significant occasions for Scotland.
Following his announcement to the role he was called on to perform his first poem. Bourach, which was written for the Push the Boat Out Festival in Edinburgh, uses a word that in both Gaelic and Scots English means, mess, muddle, fuss or confusion. He hopes that even though not everyone will understand the language used in his poetry they will enjoy his poems. He stated that one of the ways in which he taught himself Spanish was by memorising some of the poetry of Pablo Neruda and then going over them in his head long before he came to understand them.
Birthplace of Byron’s First Poem Revealed
In his book Byron’s Manor, Geoffrey Bond, a Lord Byron enthusiast has revealed that Burnage Manor in Southwell was the birthplace of the first poem published by the poet.
The author has used letters penned by the poet to trace his exact address during that time and found that he was living in the manor when he published his first four poetry volumes.
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