Norman MacCaig

(born 14 November 1910 - died 23 January 1996) - Edinburgh

Norman MacCaig

Poet Norman MacCaig was born in Edinbugh but shared his time between the capital and Assynt in Sutherland. Initially a primary school teacher, MacCaig later worked at Edinburgh and Stirling Universities reading creative writing and poetry. A conscientious objector during World War II, MacCaig remained a committed pacifist throughout his life.

Sharing his time between the city and the far north of Scotland influenced much of his poetry; the contrasts were for him complementary rather than contradictory. His first poetry collection, Far Cry, was published in 1943, the second, The Inward Eye, in 1955; both of these collections were classed as part of the 'New Apocalypse' movement, later works were much more individual and hard to classify - which is probably how MacCaig liked it. Although his mother was a Gaelic speaker, Norman MacCaig only wrote in English.

Key Titles

  • Cover scan of Collected Poems
    Collected Poems
    This revised and expanded edition of Norman MacCaig's collected poems includes all the work he wished to preserve from 14 individual volumes, as well as over 100 uncollected pieces.
  • Cover scan of The Poems Of Norman MacCaig
    The Poems Of Norman MacCaig
    MacCaig's life and poetry were principally divided into two parts, represented by two locales - his home city of Edinburgh provided contrast with his holiday home in Assynt, a remote area in north-west Scotland where he spend much time, especially in the summer months.
  • Cover scan of Selected Poems
    Selected Poems
    Norman MacCaig, who died in 1996, is one of the most popular contemporary poets in English. Selected Poems collects his best work from over 40 years, including some hitherto uncollected poems, and is the standard edition of his work.

Bibliography

  • Far Cry - 1943
  • The Inward Eye - 1946
  • Riding Lights - 1955
  • The Sinai Sort - 1957
  • A Common Grace - 1960
  • A Round of Applause - 1962
  • Measures - 1965
  • Surroundings - 1966
  • Rings on a Tree - 1968
  • A Man in My Position - 1969
  • The White Bird - 1973
  • The Worlds Room - 1974
  • Tree of Strings - 1977
  • The Equal Skies - 1980
  • A World of Difference - 1983
  • Voice-over - 1988
  • Collected Poems - 2002
  • The Poems of Norman MacCaig - 2005
  • Selected Poems - 1997