University’s Scottish Literature unit celebrates its half century
THEY have inspired artistic and intellectual minds such as Frederick Douglass and Bob Dylan and works have been translated into virtually every language on the planet.
Now the only unit in the world that studies Scottish literature in its own right is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an in-person event at the Kelvin Hall this weekend.
Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow will bring together students, staff, alumni, and the public to celebrate not only the faculty’s unique position and achievements but also to highlight the works of Scottish writers from mediaeval times up to the present day.
Scottish writers have been at the forefront of world literature for centuries producing global bestsellers, beloved characters and stories with mass appeal.
Its literature has a rich heritage that continues right up to the present day as new contemporary writers have added to and contributed to the international success story and worldwide literary canon.
It was just weeks ago that marked a century since the birth of the Scots poet Hugh Macdiarmid.
In 1922, the Scot’s poems were first printed, alongside his declaration that the Scottish Renaissance in poetry and literature had commenced.
Scotland’s national bard Robert Burns is said to have inspired Bob Dylan, while others have been inspired by the likes of Sir Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Muriel Spark.
The mass global appeal has also led to Scottish writers being translated into dozens of languages, including Chinese, Russian, French and Catalan.
Dr Ronnie Young, a lecturer in Scottish Literature based at School of Critical Studies, who is helping co-ordinate the 50th anniversary celebrations, said: “Our 50th anniversary provides us with a unique opportunity to bring people together to celebrate what is distinctive about the subject.
“Scottish literature deserves to be recognised as a world literature in its own right, and my predecessors and colleagues at Glasgow have done much to promote the subject as an autonomous area of research and teaching while also raising its international profile.”
The in-person event will take place as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories.
To date, the Glasgow University centre is the only academic unit in the world dedicated entirely to the study of Scotland’s literary tradition.
In other universities, the work of Scotland’s writers tend to be taught as English literature.
At Glasgow, students can specialise entirely in Scottish literature as distinct from, but related to, other literary traditions.
Much has changed in the 50 years since Scottish Literature was established in1972 as there were no women writers represented on the original reading list. Now students can study a range of women writers, including recent Makars Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie.
The department was established by the poet and academic Alexander Scott and emerged from the older department of Scottish History and Literature at Glasgow, founded in 1913.
In 1971, Mr Scott ushered in a literary curriculum as distinct from history which included works by Sir Walter Scott and James Hogg, through to writers of the 20th-century “Scots literary Renaissance” such as Macdiarmid.
Dr Pauline Mackay, current Head of Scottish Literature, based at School of Critical Studies, said: “Scottish Literature at Glasgow is a centre for world-class scholarship, has consistently excellent reviews for its teaching and attracts major external research income.
“Our commitment to cutting-edge research and teaching, through the production of major publications and associated digital resources, the development of online courses, and work-based learning initiatives with our external collaborators, has ensured that the subject area is as vibrant as the literature upon which it is founded.
“We look forward to the next 50 years!”
Scottish literature deserves to be recognised as a world literature in its own right