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Bards in praise of Edinburgh

18th October 2007

Lizzie MacGregor, of the Scottish Poetry Library - in conjunction with Polygon (an imprint of Birlinn) - has published a new work entitled 'Luckenbooth.' As editor, MacGregor selected and put together a whole series of bards, from Dunbar in the 15th century, through to Hugh MacDiarmid, Alexander Scott, and the rest, in the 20th century, whether in English or Scots. Some of the bards will be conspicuous figures, while others will not be so well known, but all of them penned lines about Edinburgh, the subject of this present publication. Anyone with an interest in the Scots language will find poems by Robert Fergusson, Allan Ramsay, Robert Garioch, Sydney Goodsir Smith and many more. In selecting her bards, MacGregor found that she was personally drawn to the skills of Robert Louis Stevenson and Lewis Spence, but the whole process of selection was a labour of love. She commented that this process gave "...more insights into the history and life of this wonderful city...she must be one of the most written-about cities." With a foreword written by James Robertson, 'Luckenbooth: An Anthology of Edinburgh Poetry' is available in hardback at 9.99 from Birlinn Limited by going to their website: www.birlinn.co.uk/ or by searching any good book seller.