The Life of Robert Burns (Canongate Classics #10)

By: Catherine Carswell

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Synopsis: This classic and controversial biography of Scotland&’s National Bard offers an unvarnished chronicle of the 18th century poet&’s life. First published in 1930 to an unprecedented storm of protest, Catherine Carswell&’s The Life of Robert Burns remains the standard work on its subject. Widely revered as Scotland&’s greatest poet, Burns&’s devotees were so upset by its contents that Carswell famously received a bullet in the mail, with instructions for its use. Carswell deliberately shakes the image of Burns as a romantic hero, exposing the sexual transgressions, drinking bouts and waywardness that other biographies chose to overlook. But Carswell&’s real achievement is to bring alive the personality of a great man: passionate, hard-living, generous, melancholic, morbid and, above all, a brilliant and inspired artist.&“Catherine Carswell&’s The Life of Robert Burns is still, apart from Burns&’ own account, the best.&”—Alasdair Gray, The Observer, UK&“It is not only an outlandishly good book, but one which raises questions about the nature of Scottish culture and cultural change.&”—Sunday Times, UK&“This is a book which makes you feel better for having read it. I only wish a few contemporary biographers wrote as well as Catherine Carswell did.&”—Allan Massie, Literary Review, UK