A Country for Old Men and My Canadian Uncle

by Iain Crichton Smith

The narrative and dramatic poem My Canadian Uncle is much earlier than A Country for Old Men and represents the poet's ambitious experiments with forms, especially those forms which seem to bridge the gap between the poetic, prose narrative and drama.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Iain Crichton Smith (Gaelic: Iain Mac a' Ghobhainn ) was a Scottish man of letters, writing in both English and Gaelic, and a prolific author in both languages. He is known for poetry, short stories and novels.

He was born in Glasgow, but moved to the isle of Lewis at the age of two, where he and his two brothers were brought up by their widowed mother in the small crofting town of Bayble, which also produced Derick S. Thomson. Educated at the University of Aberdeen, Crichton Smith took a degree in English, and after serving in the National Service Army Education Corps, went on to become a teacher.

He taught in Clydebank, Dumbarton and Oban from 1952, retiring to become a full-time writer in 1977, although he already had many novels and poems published. He was awarded an OBE in 1980.