By Aine Allardyce
The University of Glasgow is spearheading celebrations to commemorate the 250thanniversary of the poet Robert Fergusson’s lasting impact on Scottish literature and culture.
This Thursday – 17 October 2024 – marks the 250th anniversary of the poet’s death who is seen as one of Scotland’s most influential yet often overlooked poets.
Professor Rhona Brown, leading the University of Glasgow’s Fergusson project and commemorations, emphasises Fergusson’s significance: “Robert Fergusson is one of Scotland’s most important poets, but he is often misunderstood. Writing in both Scots and English, one of Fergusson’s key themes is the ordinary life of Edinburgh, and he depicts the city, warts and all, in his masterpiece, Auld Reikie (1773). His poetry is astute and satirical, funny and razor-sharp.”
As part of the tributes, the University of Glasgow College of Arts & Humanities’ podcast “Stories from Glasgow” will offer listeners insights into Fergusson’s life and work.
The episode featuring Professor Brown and Dr Amy Wilcockson, available from Monday 14 October 2024, includes discussions about Fergusson’s life, readings from his poetry, and explores his influence on other poets, including Robert Burns.
In the podcast, Professor Brown describes Fergusson as a “poet’s poet” who influenced writers like Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Noting Fergusson’s profound impact on Burns, Professor Brown said: “The big figure who was deeply influenced by Fergusson is Robert Burns. He was influenced by Fergusson in quite a profound way, and we know this because in Burns’s autobiographical letter to Dr John Moore of August 1787, he says he had almost given up on poetry completely until he read Fergusson’s poetry.”
It is also Burns who erects a stone on Fergusson’s unmarked grave, says Professor Brown, adding: “Burns erects a stone in memory of Fergusson which describes Fergusson as Scotia’s poet and his grave as a place for people who love Scottish poetry to come and pay pilgrimage.”
To commemorate this significant anniversary, a special event titled “Remembering Robert Fergusson: A Night of Poetry and Music” will bring together renowned writers, musicians, and academics on Thursday 17 October. While tickets for this unique literary celebration have now nearly sold out, the event highlights the ongoing interest in Fergusson’s work and legacy.
Professor Brown will be joined by special guests including Scottish writer and broadcaster Billy Kay, acclaimed authors Andrew O’Hagan and James Robertson, musician David Hamilton and singer Kirsteen McCue, who is also a professor at the University of Glasgow. The event will take place at St Cecilia’s Hall in Edinburgh, a fitting venue for honouring the city’s own poetic son.
Andrew O’Hagan said: “For so many Scottish writers down the generations, Fergusson’s voice has been part of the inner ear, a human warmth, a subtle humour and a beautiful intelligence secreted in the Scots vernacular, and I’ve felt attentive to it all of my writing life.
Broadcaster Billy KKay, Glasgow University coat of arms and author Andrew O’Hagan.
“I applaud the important work being done on Fergusson at the University of Glasgow, and am honoured to take part in the event at St Cecilia’s to mark the 250th anniversary of his death. Fergusson is one of the most important figures in our literary culture and we should celebrate him at every opportunity.”
Billy Kay said: “As an Ayrshire man steeped in the living Burns tradition, it was such a pleasure and a revelation for me to discover what Sydney Goodsir Smith called the “fizzing vitality” of Fergusson’s poetry when I studied Scottish literature at the University of Edinburgh in the early 1970s.
“The love of it inspired me to produce and present a show and an iconic LP record called Fergusson’s Auld Reikie with a group of brilliant traditional musicians. I very much look forward to sharing my experiences with Fergusson for the audience at St Cecilia’s Hall on Thursday.”
This event and podcast are both part of the broader initiative by the University of Glasgow, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, called The Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies, which aims to prepare a new edition of Fergusson’s complete works for publication by Edinburgh University Press in 2026.
The award-winning Stories from Glasgow Podcast explores the impact of art, literature, culture, and history from world leading researchers in the University of Glasgow’s College of Arts & Humanities. https://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/arts/aboutus/socialmedia/podcast/
The Robert Fergusson episode of Stories from Glasgow will be available from Monday, 14 October 2024 to listen to – www.gla.ac.uk/artspodcast
Robert Fergusson (5 September 1750 – 17 October 1774) was an Edinburgh poet whose short life belied his significant impact. His textual, medical, linguistic and cultural legacies were substantial, to the extent that Scotland’s national bard Robert Burns regarded Fergusson as his ‘elder brother in the muse’.
‘The Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies’: The University of Glasgow’s project ‘The Works of Robert Fergusson: Reconstructing Textual and Cultural Legacies’ is funded by the Leverhulme Trust. This project has two aims: to produce a new scholarly edition of Fergusson’s works for the 21st century reader; and to commemorate the poet’s legacies through academic and collaborative events with external partners throughout 2024 (the 250th anniversary of his death) and 2025. The project will provide a comprehensive edition, but also asks: how do we understand Fergusson’s legacies in the twenty-first century?
Learn more: https://robert-fergusson.glasgow.ac.uk/
Mitchell Library Exhibition on Fergusson: To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Robert Fergusson’s death, the Mitchell Library, in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, is hosting a free exhibition running now until 30th October 2024. The in-person exhibition will be accompanied by a free events programme celebrating Fergusson’s significant textual, medical, linguistic and cultural legacies.
https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/2/exhibition-celebrating-scottish-poet-robert-fergusson-1750-1774