The Other Robert - Fergusson: The Poet Who Inspired Burns
By Rick Wilson
5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
‘Rhyme I had given up; but meeting with Fergusson’s Scottish Poems, I strung anew my wildly-sounding rustic lyre with emulating vigour.’ (Robert Burns recalling his younger self in 1787)
But who is Burns referring to? It’s not easy to answer if you go beyond naming him as the poetic phenomenon that was Robert Fergusson and try to pin down his complex, mercurial character. But because that complexity intrigues when set beside the short-but-sweet intensity of his life and remarkable output, this picture of him becomes more than a technical appreciation of his work; it becomes romantic too, rather in the way that we tend to view Robert Burns.
That’s how Rick Wilson tells this story; shining a modern light on this high-spirited son of old Edinburgh who was born in 1750 and flashed briefly across the literary firmament like a meteorite, too quickly expired. But not before being called the laureate of the city he loved with a fierce affection that celebrated its towering beauty as well as the colour of its characters and the vulgarity of its dark corners.
He has been described as ‘the chief forerunner of Burns’ and even as his John the Baptist; though Burns himself saw him more as an equal and even addressed him as ‘by far my elder brother in the muse’.
Indeed, the great bard was so impressed by Fergusson – and his bold use of vernacular Scots – that he took fresh confidence from him and happily acknowledged the debt by even paying for his gravestone.
So how important was the ‘Other Robert’? If he could so inspire Burns to a bold new trajectory that brought global fame, he must have been a hugely significant, if tragic, figure. Significant because of the undeniable quality of his work; tragic because he died at the cruelly young age of 24, which makes his achievement all the more admirable – and so deserving of more popular attention today.
Rick Wilson
Rick Wilson is a seasoned Republican political strategist and infamous negative ad-maker. His regular column with The Daily Beast is a must-read in the political community. Published in The Washington Post, Politico, The Hill, The Federalist, Independent Journal Review, he’s also a frequent guest on Real Time with Bill Maher, CNN, MSNBC, NPR, With Friends Like These, and the national networks. The author of Everything Trump Touches Dies, Rick Wilson lives in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife, four dogs, and a nameless cat. They have two grown children.
Read more from Rick Wilson
Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Man Who Was Jekyll and Hyde: The Lives and Crimes of Deacon Brodie Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFather God, After Believing in Jesus as Savior, Can One Lose Their Salvation? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Other Robert - Fergusson
Related ebooks
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScotland, A Nation In Verse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Canongate Burns Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leading the Blind: A Century of Guide Book Travel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wings of the Dove by Henry James (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe House of Atreus Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwo Years Before the Mast: A Personal Narrative Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gunpowder Plot Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Class Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mogreb-el-Acksa: A Journey in Morocco Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJaufry the Knight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cathedral: "In all science, error precedes the truth, and it is better it should go first than last." Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Battle for the Stars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Amber Seeker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIvanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (Illustrated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bells of Bruges Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Public Reading Followed by Discussion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Village That Voted the Earth Was Flat Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVilla Rubein, and other stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Danger of Romance: Truth, Fantasy, and Arthurian Fictions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Vnfortunate Traveller, or The Life Of Jack Wilton With An Essay On The Life And Writings Of Thomas Nash By Edmund Gosse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWaverley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCircles of Dread Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJoseph Andrews and Shamela Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Haunted Chamber (Fantasy and Horror Classics) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Insanity Fair Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShould Auld Acquaintance: Discovering the Woman Behind Robert Burns Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wanderer: Female Difficulties Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHostage: London: Diary of Julian Despard Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Literary Biographies For You
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Very Best of Maya Angelou: The Voice of Inspiration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Molly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Henry and June: From "A Journal of Love," The Unexpurgated Diary (1931–1932) of Anaïs Nin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Real Lolita: A Lost Girl, an Unthinkable Crime, and a Scandalous Masterpiece Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Woman Who Could Not Forget Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Letters from Max: A Poet, a Teacher, a Friendship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Incest: From "A Journal of Love": The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1932–1934 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Distance Between Us: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and His Black and White Ball Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Writer's Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Teacher Man: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Govt Cheese a memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writers and Their Notebooks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Murder Your Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oscar Wilde: The Unrepentant Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Confessions of a Bookseller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lincoln Lawyer: A Mysterious Profile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJames Baldwin: A Biography Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5These Precious Days: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Other Robert - Fergusson
1 rating0 reviews