MacDiarmid, Hugh

MacDiarmid, Hugh
orig. Christopher Murray Grieve

born Aug. 11, 1892, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Scot.
died Sept. 9, 1978, Edinburgh

Scottish poet.

In 1922 he founded the monthly Scottish Chapbook, in which he published his lyrics and sparked the Scottish literary renaissance. A radical leftist, he rejected English as a medium and scrutinized modern society in verse written in "synthetic Scots," an amalgam of various dialects. A noted work is the extended rhapsody A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle (1926). He later returned to standard English in such volumes as A Kist of Whistles (1947) and In Memoriam James Joyce (1955). He is regarded as Scotland's preeminent poet of the early 20th century.

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▪ Scottish poet
pseudonym  of Christopher Murray Grieve  
born Aug. 11, 1892, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Scot.
died Sept. 9, 1978, Edinburgh
 preeminent Scottish poet of the first half of the 20th century and leader of the Scottish literary renaissance.

      The son of a postman, MacDiarmid was educated at Langholm Academy and the University of Edinburgh. After serving in World War I he became a journalist in Montrose, Angus, where he edited three issues of the first postwar Scottish verse anthology, Northern Numbers (1921–23). In 1922 he founded the monthly Scottish Chapbook, in which he advocated a Scottish literary revival and published the lyrics of “Hugh MacDiarmid,” later collected as Sangschaw (1925) and Penny Wheep (1926). Rejecting English as a medium for Scottish poetry, MacDiarmid scrutinized the pretensions and hypocrisies of modern society in verse written in “synthetic Scots,” an amalgam of elements from various middle Scots dialects and folk ballads and other literary sources. He achieved notable success both in his lyrics and in A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle (1926), an extended rhapsody ranging from investigation of his own personality to exploration of the mysteries of space and time. Later, as he became increasingly involved in metaphysical speculation and accepted Marxist philosophy, he wrote Scotticized English in To Circumjack Cencrastus (1930) and archaic Scots in Scots Unbound (1932), then returned to standard English in Stony Limits (1934) and Second Hymn to Lenin (1935). His later style was best represented in A Kist of Whistles (1947) and In Memoriam James Joyce (1955). Autobiographical volumes include Lucky Poet (1943) and The Company I've Kept (1966). His Complete Poems appeared in 1974. MacDiarmid became professor of literature to the Royal Scottish Academy (1974) and president of the Poetry Society (1976).

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  • MacDiarmid, Hugh — (1892 1978)    Pseudonym of Christopher Murray Grieve. He was born in Langholm, Dumfrieshire, and educated at Langholm Academy. During his time as a pupilteacher in Edinburgh, he joined the Edinburgh branches of the Independent Labor Party and… …   British and Irish poets

  • MacDiarmid,Hugh — Mac·Diar·mid (mək dûrʹmĭd), Hugh. Pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve. 1892 1978. Scottish poet whose works, many written in Scots, reflect his support for political independence from Great Britain and sparked a revival of modern Scottish… …   Universalium

  • MacDiarmid, Hugh — orig. Christopher Murray Grieve (11 ago. 1892, Langholm, Dumfriesshire, Escocia–9 sep. 1978, Edimburgo). Poeta escocés. En 1922 fundó el Scottish Chapbook, de salida mensual, en el que publicó sus poemas y el cual dio inicio al renacimiento de la …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • MacDiarmid, Hugh — pseud. di Grieve, Christopher Murray …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Hugh MacDiarmid — [Hugh MacDiarmid] (1892–1978) a Scottish poet. He wrote in the Scottish ↑dialect known as ↑Lallans and is best known for his poem A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle (1926). He was a Communist and a supporter of Scottish independence, and was one of …   Useful english dictionary

  • Hugh MacDiarmid — Christopher Murray Grieve A bust of MacDiarmid in South Gyle, Edinburgh Born 11 August 1892 Langholm, Scotland Died 9 September 1978 Edinburgh, Scotland …   Wikipedia

  • Hugh — /hyooh/ or, often, /yooh/, n. a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning heart, mind. * * * (as used in expressions) Hector Hugh Munro Auden Wystan Hugh Chamberlen Hugh Gaitskell Hugh Todd Naylor Hefner Hugh Marston Hugh Capet Hugh of Saint… …   Universalium

  • Hugh — (as used in expressions) Auden, W(ystan) H(ugh) Chamberlen, Hugh Gaitskell, Hugh (Todd Naylor) Hefner, Hugh (Marston) Latimer, Hugh Lofting, Hugh (John) MacDiarmid, Hugh MacLennan, (John) Hugh McCulloch, Hugh H(ector) H(ugh) Munro Tyrone, Hugh O… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Hugh MacDiarmid — Hugh MacDiarmid, eigentlich Christopher Murray Grieve, (* 11. August 1892 in Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway; † 9. September 1978 in Edinburgh) war ein schottischer Dichter. Er verfasste Werke sowohl auf Englisch als auch auf Scots, war… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • MacDiarmid — or Macdiarmid is a surname, and may refer to:* Alan MacDiarmid won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2000 * Hugh MacDiarmid, Scottish poet, real name Christopher Murray Grieve * Sarah MacDiarmid, a woman who disappeared in Melbourne, Australia, in… …   Wikipedia

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