‘Henderson ceaselessly involved himself in cultural and political activities that have, over the years, had a profound effect on his nation. It may be that the new Scotland – with its parliament and its renewed confidence – owes more to Henderson than anyone else.’ – Tim Neat, The Guardian
Hamish Henderson was one of the most significant figures in the cultural life of twentieth-century Scotland; he was a man of extraordinary intellectual versatility, a committed Republican and socialist, and, as the pioneer of the great post-war Scottish folk revival, he made an important contribution to Scotland’s culture and to the growth of a national consciousness.
Henderson was continually drawn to the North-east and its folk art heritage; in particular, the tinker-gypsies, whose contribution to folk culture he gave full recognition. He was a scholarly song and folktale collector, a songwriter, a serious political fighter who rejected Margaret Thatcher’s offer of an OBE, and a poet whose sequence of war poems Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1949.
The essays in this collection, extensively expanded by friend and editor Alec Finlay, range from humorous autobiographical reminiscences, wartime memoirs, flytings, chatty reviews and scholarly critiques of songs and tales, to his introductory essay to Gramsci’s famous Prison Letters. Subjects include Hugh MacDiarmid, Lorca, the tinker-gypsies, ballads, the burgeoning folk scene and the Clearances. Completing the volume are tributes to individuals such as Jeannie Robertson, Ewan McCall and Roy Williamson.
Hamish Henderson was born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, in 1919 and spent his early years in Glenshee before moving to Ireland and then Devon. He won a scholarship to Dulwich College and went on to study Modern Languages at Cambridge. During the Second World he served in North Africa and Italy with the 51st Highland Division, and personally accepted the surrender of Italy from Marshall Graziani. He was a founder of the School of Scottish Studies in 1951 and, during his time there, made distinguished contributions to folk scholarship, remaining an honorary fellow of the school for the rest of his life. He died in March 2002.
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