- Hardcover: 496 pages
- Publisher: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited (May 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1904598269
- ISBN-13: 978-1904598268
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.8 x 5.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 701,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Poems of Norman MacCaig
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
MacCaig's life and poetry was principally divided into two parts, represented by two locales: his home city of Edinburgh provided contrast with his holiday home of Assynt, a remote area in North-west Scotland where he spent much time, especially in the summer months. The landscape and people of Assynt provided inspirations for his poetry as well as bringing MacCaig close friendships and a love for the land. As he became older, MacCaig's fame spread and he received such honours as the O.B.E. and the Queen's Medal for Poetry. By the time of his death in January 1996, Norman MacCaig was known widely as the grand old man of Scottish poetry. This book is the third edition of MacCaig's Collected Poems and is edited by his son Ewen. This edition contains 778 poems, 100 of them previously unpublished, and has, in addition, a context piece, author's words and CD of readings. It is a definitive (though not complete) collection.
About the Author
Norman MacCaig was born in Edinburgh in 1910. His formal education was firmly rooted in the Edinburgh soil: he attended the Royal High School, Edinburgh University and then trained to be a teacher at Moray House. Having spent years educating young children he later taught Creative Writing, first at Edinburgh University, then at the University of Stirling.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Individual collections of a poet's work are lovely to have and I do still enjoy them but all of Norman MacCaig's poems are right here in this one book and it's great. . . It is like having a big sparkly box of deliciously wrapped wee gifts all to yourself. . . I know how daft that sounds but it is exactly that to me . . I bought it on Wednesday, 25th May 2005 and I have taken out and unwrapped some things from it every single day since . . the clever people can tell you about the 'mechanics' of MacCaig's poetry, I can only tell you that it absolutely is for anyone who has ever loved . . anyone who has ever lost . . anyone who belongs to two places . . or who loves Assynt - Canisp & Suilven . . or animals . . or the Western Isles . . or Edinburgh or . . or anyone who gets up in the morning, looks out of their window and wonders about stuff - no matter what, no matter where . .
Along with Roger Hutchinson's "Calum's Road", this book goes with me everywhere.
Along with Roger Hutchinson's "Calum's Road", this book goes with me everywhere.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is wonderful- the poems are so acute, on pain, loss and the ridiculousness of being human. There are so many poems which I think of as favourites, until I light on the next one - a drunken cockerel, a fine dog getting old, the pigment in a painting, the stupidity of trying to surround yourself with expensive status symbols, and then the history and beauty of the country. The CD is a joy, and allows me to make the miserable daily journey on the M25 into something pleasurable - listening to Norman MacCaig's precise voice takes me away from the present situation completely, back to where I grew up, and often makes me laugh outright.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Norman MacCaig was and is one of Scotland's best poets. He may be dead; but his poetry survives, and you can access it by reading a book or going on the net.
Try Man in Assynt,and wonder why the place meant so much. Think of how he described the power of the Moon, our only satellite.
How about Assisi, where the 'dwarf with his hands on backwards', slumps while a priest expostulates about Italian architecture.
Reading MacCaig's stuff will do your head in.
Alasdair H. Macinnes.
Try Man in Assynt,and wonder why the place meant so much. Think of how he described the power of the Moon, our only satellite.
How about Assisi, where the 'dwarf with his hands on backwards', slumps while a priest expostulates about Italian architecture.
Reading MacCaig's stuff will do your head in.
Alasdair H. Macinnes.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A pleasure
I have to agree with all the above reviews. This is a very special book. Usually I prefer the directness of the poetry of Ian Davies and the like so this was a bit of a diversion... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Notepad
Simply wonderfull
A wonderfull collection, and as another reviewer remarked, it should be on every shelf of all poetry lovers. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Captain Howdy
A lifetime of pleasure
I shall dip into this for many years to come.
A full review will have to wait for some time but it is a lovely book.
A full review will have to wait for some time but it is a lovely book.
Published 14 months ago by SJ
The poems of Norman MacCaig
Interesting and very informative "Notes, Quotes and Introduction" section at the start of the book leads you gently into the wonderful world of MacCaig. Read more
Published 15 months ago by highland girl
Norman McCaig
The collected poems of Norman McCaig should be on the shelves of every lover of poetry and of all those who find poetry difficult to grasp. Read more
Published 16 months ago by simon-winter
Marvellous.
A marvellous poet both of humanity and of the natural world - he's equally insightful and poignant about toads, cats, ravens and people.
Published 17 months ago by Mark Butler
The Poems of Norman MacCaig
This collection of MacCaig's poems is a joy! These poems are rich in lyric insight, profound in their illuminations of culture and society, and crafted with such intelligence and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Martin
I love this book
I have the 532-page paperback, already spiky with bookmarks. I flip it open to a page, read the poem, and am taken aback every time by the perfection of each poem, so I have to... Read more
Published 17 months ago by M. R. Baxendale
Poetry at its best.
I have bought this book twice. The first time for my son and the second time for my friend as a birthday present [they both loved it] and I will be buying a further copy for... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Healybo
excellent
I bought this to "fill out" my research when teaching an A Level English Lit. class. Well written and very informative.
Published 20 months ago by martyG
Listmania!
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