However, for centuries Scottish Gaelic literature was for all intents and purposes an oral ‘literature’. There was a wealth of songs (òrain) and poetry (bàrdachd), and you would hear plenty stories (sgeulachdan) and nuggets of tradition (beul-aithris), but apart from the Bible and a few other texts, there was little in the way of Gaelic literature as a written body of work (although you must recall that mass produced printed literature is a relatively new thing for many languages). There was plenty of ‘literature’, just not in printed books.

In recent years, Gaelic writing, and literature, have experienced something of a boom time. More and more books of poetry and prose (rosg) are available. There are more plays, poems and stories available in Gaelic than ever before and new writers are taking advantage of the new opportunities to express themselves. Leading poets such as Angus Peter Campbell, Martin MacIntyre, Meg Bateman, Myles Campbell and Derick Thomson have all recently published new works. And a slew of new novels have appeared on the shelves of book shops under the Ùr-sgeul imprint which both challenge and captivate the reader. There’s lots going on in Gaelic literature, and it’s time to read all about it.

Angus Peter Campbell

Why do you write?

“I write to pass the time between breakfast, lunchtime, dinnertime, supper and bedtime. A good pastime: like golf or yoga.”

Iain Finlay MacLeod

Why is literature important?

“To have a healthy literature is important in any language. To see your world reflected in words seems to give a certain validity, seems to entail an element of “making real” and revealing. Look at Joyce’s Dublin or Alasdair Gray’s Glasgow, both cities which people saw anew when they appeared in literature, two cities which were almost brought into being and created through this act. There is an element of “white space” as the poet Christopher Whyte would call it, in Gaelic literature. A space (cultural or physical) which hasn’t been mapped before in words. This white space gives a writer the room to manouvere and create, a blank canvas, without being hampered by what has come before. You can see the effect of this boundless untouched space on the Great American novel. So much space in which to set a story. So much unknown. “One would say that the islands had plenty of space to offer a writer, after all, there are relatively few novels set there. The irony is that the islands are one of the most mapped landscapes there are, place-names and stories attached to every part of it which have gradually passed over our horizon. This gives the Gaelic writer the best of both worlds, a horizontal white space in which to play, which is unmarked, and a depth of cultural history on which to base it.”

Martin MacIntyre

What is your favourite Gaelic book, and why?

“I must say I found it a little easier to choose ten Gaelic books that excited or made a lasting impression on me (see http://www.booksfromscotland.com/Features/Readers-Choices/Martin-MacIntyre), but if I had to choose one it would be 'Eimhir' by Sorley MacLean. “The book is in the form of a series of passionate love poems interlaced with major themes such as cultural fidelity, inheritance, personal duty, and European politics. Iain Crichton Smith's adept translations create an amazing fusion of the minds and sensibilities of two of Scotland's finest 20th Century writers.”

Norma MacLeod

What will Gaelic literature be like in 50 years?

“Books of different kinds will still be published but in various forms. Digital books will be available and bookshops will be able to quickly print out any book of your choice for you. As music continues to dominate the Gaelic scene and make learners feel more involved, there will be many more books of songs with accompanying CDs. I think we will find more vanity publishing so that people can quickly publish books at their own expense, even although their books will contain many more design and typographical errors. Pocket-sized computers will be the norm so that books of one’s choice can be read in any setting, by purchasing a chip or the equivalent which will contain the book or books required. I think there will still be a place for traditional publishing as we know it, whereby attention will be focused on the attractive presentation of books as a work of art in itself, and that readers will still wish to acquire books which are pleasurable to handle and which will be regarded as doughty friends. Gaelic, steeped in community methods of expression will have all but disappeared. The next generation will have placed their own mark, with the use of literal Gaelic closely allied to the structures of English becoming the norm. Readers will feel that current modes of expression in Gaelic communities are rather foreign to them and related to a past generation.

“Whatever form in which books continue to be published, the same topics will still have high relevancy: love, faith, humour, affliction, sorrow and intrigue, particularly in novels and poetry books, and the occasional person will still display an interest in history, reference and photographic books.”

Authors:

Angus Peter Campbell

Martin MacIntyre

Iain Finlay

Myles Campbell

Sorley MacLean

Iain Crichton Smith

Aonghas MacNeacail

Meg Bateman

Derick Thomson

George Campbell Hay

Kevin MacNeil

Rody Gorman

Literary Festivals

Leabhar is Craic - A Gaelic literature festival

Faclan - Hebridean Book Festival

Edinburgh International Book Festival - Edinburgh International Book Festival which includes Gaelic events

Further information:

Electric Scotland - A look at modern Gaelic literature

Wikipedia - A little information on Gaelic literature

Visitng Arts - Information on Gaelic literature

Gaelic Books Council - The Gaelic Books Council, where you can buy all the latest titles

The Gaelic Arts Agency - Gaelic storytelling project

Scottish School of Studies - School of Scottish Studies and their journal Tocher, with lots of information on Gaelic oral tradition

National Library of Scotland - The National Library of Scotland’s rare Gaelic books