Of course Robert Burns was a fine poet but remember a man’s a man for a’ that
I read with great interest Liz Lochhead’s article in The Scotsman about “Saint Rabbie” Burns (25 January). I was also greatly amused earlier in the week by the synthetic furore generated by the tired old Burns Establishment regarding her proposed speech to the Hellenic Society. In particular, her comments on his notorious letter to his young friend Robert Ainslie. I first came across the “thundering scallade” epistle some 35 years ago in a fine biography of Burns by Hugh Douglas. I don’t shock easily, but the sexism, coarseness and gross chauvinism of it took my breath away and I have never forgotten it.
Burns is an important figure to Scotland in so many ways but I abhor the myth-making and deification of him that gets worse year by year. I used to talk and recite at Burns Suppers but three years ago I decided: enough! I don’t even bother going along any more.
I continue to celebrate the brilliance of Burns and his towering importance to Scottish culture, but I recognise he was, like us all, a flawed human being. This is something the Burns Establishment and the vast majority of Burns Suppers signally fail to address. Ms Lochhead describes this most eloquently. She could also, in her article, have mentioned Burns’ behaviour in the notorious Rape Of The Sabine Women incident in his Ellisland period. Burns, well under the influence, behaved in an outrageously sexist manner to Mrs Riddell. A real Harvey Weinstein moment.
I thought the recent Black Burns and Slave’s Lament installations at the National Portrait Gallery addressed a lot of the issues obscuring the true importance of Burns and the contradictions in his life and work. Perhaps not unexpectedly, although I recommended them to quite a few Burns Supper afficionados, hardly anybody bothered going to see it. The neutered anodyne version is much more digestible. Ms Lochhead’s decision to pack in the Burns Supper talking circuit is the correct one and I applaud her courage in speaking out.
BERT STEVENSON Macdowall Road, Edinburgh
A hefty kick up the backside is due to BBC and ITV for their non-coverage of our national poet on Burns Night. All they could muster was a programme about Robert Fergusson, whereas BBC Northern Ireland had an extravaganza of music and song with Scot Siobhan Miller, Alasdair Fraser et al. Perhaps Burns was an SNP member, which would explain BBC Scotland’s decision to have nothing to do with him on Burns Night.
RICHARD LYON Portcheek Terrace Kirkmichael, South Ayrshire