Scottish love poems: A personal anthology

by Antonia Fraser

From First love to Farewells, this book contains the full gamut of emotions inspired by poetry's most popular love. Meet the romantics and the unromantics, the obsessed and the fainthearted, the tragic and the comic, in all their lyrical glory. Antonia Fraser has made a touching, canny and diverse selection of poems from the fifteenth century to the present day, from ballads to sonnets to modern verse. Included alongside well-known masters like Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson, are contemporary poets such as Kathleen Jamie, John Burnside and Carol Ann Duffy, illuminating the ways of the heart in all its forms.

Genres: Poetry, Scotland

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works, including the biographies Mary, Queen of Scots (a 40th anniversary edition was published in May 2009), Cromwell: Our Chief of Men, King Charles II and The Gunpowder Plot (CWA Non-Fiction Gold Dagger; St Louis Literary Award). She has written five highly praised books which focus on women in history, The Weaker Vessel: Women's Lot in Seventeenth Century Britain (Wolfson Award for History, 1984), The Warrior Queens: Boadecia's Chariot, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Marie Antoinette: The Journey (Franco-British Literary Prize 2001), which was made into a film by Sofia Coppola in 2006 and most recently Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King. She was awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000. Antonia Fraser was made DBE in 2011 for her services to literature. Her most recent book is Must You Go?, celebrating her life with Harold Pinter, who died on Christmas Eve 2008. She lives in London.

Reviews

[cher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think people in love are my favorite people

[Sami Al-Khalili · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can hear the Scottish language, phonetics, intonation, history and affectation in every word. I literally heard a Scottish accent in my mind while reading. Beautiful introduction to Scottish poetry. Ay, beautiful indeed.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this gem in my library and will have to buy it, it's that good. Mt favorites are: Paradox by Tom McGrath, The Loch Ness Monster by Tom Buchan, and The Confirmation by Edwin Muir.

[Derek Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-chosen and stimulating collection.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this book is fresh and inviting, a Mackintosh inspired rose decorates the front and the matt, hand-made effect cover feels nice in hand.

A detailed introduction by Antonia Fraser gives a good justification for the poems chosen for inclusion. I had little prior knowledge of Scottish poetry so this was a very interesting overview, not too heavy, but with references to several other works should you wish to read more. This work is an enlarged version of a 1975 original.

The poems are divided into categories, for example, Celebrations of Love, Unromantics and Change and Paradox. I've really enjoyed the range of poems included which give a real flavour of romantic Scotland, a place I've been lucky enough to visit several times. I would definately recommend this book and I had great fun imagining my favourite Scottish men reading the poems aloud to me :)

Thanks Canongate for sending me this copy.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unexpected anthology collects poetry from different themes into one book with work that spans centuries. Represented are different styles, moods, and subject matter. From humorous/sarcastic poems with a bawdy lilt to them to innovative work from the last century to poetry that will surface in your consciousness at strangely appropriate moments, these poems stay with you, creative spelling, Scottish regional/temporal colloquialisms, deep feeling, and all.

Some of these poems are difficult to find elsewhere (yes, even on the internet), so guard this volume carefully because you might be driven mad trying to get Google to materialize the full poem from the incomplete passages that float into memory, triggered by experience.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this anthology - so many wonderful poems are included, ones that I was aware of and a lot that I hadn't read before.

My own personal preference was for the older poems, the more modern ones don't do much for me, but I enjoyed having the contrast of styles.

The poems are separated by different categories of love poem so there really is something for everyone. Just a note - some of the poems are quite difficult to read in terms of the language. I found myself spending a little time trying to decipher some, and I'm a native Scot, so if you're not from Scotland, you may find it even tougher. I wouldn't let it put you off though, there are some wonderful poems in this, including some translated Gaelic poems.

[Juliette Stamper · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these days of quick downloadable scrolling digital words it was a joy to hold a book which not only uplifted my heart but felt so good to touch as well. Books so often too cheaply made do not satisfy entirely, like a meal that is nutritious enough but you eat and forget it. A Red Rose and a Satin Heart fulfills all of my expectations when I hold a book in my hands to read. The poerty itself is well selected and organised. A mix of older well loved poems and new finds. A beautiful book to dip into. I cannot say what date I finished the book, because I will not be finished with it, it will stay beside my bed.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book of poetry for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I really enjoyed the diverse selection of poetry put together to cover all aspects of love, from first love to old love, and contained within are verses that have survived the test of time.

This is the type of book to curl up with on a cold winter's evening and delight in some good old fashioned verses.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent selection with good range of old and contemporary, well known and less well known. Arranging by topic enables readers to immediately find a poem to suit their mood.