John Blackburn – författare

Iain Crichton Smith was one of the foremost poets of the 20th century, writing in English and Gaelic. His poetry often concerns itself with unsentimental views of life in the Western Highlands and Islands, and his dislike of, and opposition to, dogmatic authority. John Blackburn's SCOTNOTE study guide analyses the religious, political and historical themes and patterns of Crichton Smith's work, and is a suitable guide for senior school pupils and students at all levels.

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 Bìobuill 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.