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Join us on the 9th September in Screen 3 at 7pm for a special reading of Hugh MacDiarmid’s Sangshaw!‘𝘔𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺… 𝘈 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩.’ John Buchan
On 9th September 1925, exactly 100 years ago, William Blackwood & Sons published Sangschaw, a collection of 29 poems, all but two of them written in the Scots language. The poet was one Hugh M’Diarmid [sic], and this was the first book to be published under that name. In fact it was the nom-de-plume of Christopher Murray Grieve, a 33-year-old journalist living and working in Montrose who had a plan to drag Scotland into the modern era.
The publication of Sangschaw, which contained now famous poems such as ‘The Watergaw’, ‘The Bonnie Broukit Bairn’ and ‘The Eemis Stane’, was a breakthrough event in 20th-century Scottish culture. Chris Grieve and his alter ego Hugh MacDiarmid kickstarted and then drove forward the Scottish Renaissance, and throughout the 1920s Montrose was the centre of this literary and artistic movement, which continues to work its effects a
century later.
A complete reading of the poems in Sangschaw will take place at the Montrose Playhouse on 9th September 2025. There will be an introductory talk, setting the scene and explaining why this wee book is so significant, and an opportunity for discussion after the reading.
Please come and join writers and performers James Robertson, Alan Riach (Professor of Scottish Literature at Glasgow University), Sheila Mann, Chris Grieve (grandson of the poet) and Jane Grieve for this special event.
Book your tickets here! 🎟️: https://montroseplayhouse.co.uk/product/hugh-macdiarmids-sangshaw-100th-anniversary-celebration-reading/
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Mall, DD10 8NW Montrose, United Kingdom, 27 The Mall, Montrose, DD10 8, United Kingdom
Tickets
