The Essay - The Elephant in the Poetry Reading
Series in which five Scottish poets describe how they view their own writing in relation to that of the great Robert Burns's
The Essay - The Elephant in the Poetry Reading - Episode 1
For David Kinloch, a Scottish private school education ignored all Scottish literature and Robert Burns' image as a womaniser was a complication for a poet who hadn't yet come out.
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The Essay - The Elephant in the Poetry Reading - Episode 2
Liz Lochhead discusses her education in a Motherwell state school, which was infused with Burns.
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The Essay - The Elephant in the Poetry Reading - Episode 3
Robert Crawford, a biographer of Burns as well as a poet himself, finds himself using the bard as a touchstone for the humanity of his own poetry.
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The Essay - The Elephant in the Poetry Reading - Episode 4
Kathleen Jamie is intrigued by Burns' ability to transform himself into whatever his audience required of him.
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The Essay - The Elephant in the Poetry Reading - Episode 5
Douglas Dunn finds Burns too distant to be a direct influence on himself, but he sees the way that the poet's influence changed across the 20th Century.
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