I had no interest in literature in my first stint in Glasgow
from 60-66, except as a reader of novels, but when I came back
in 69 I had started writing and got mixed up with Hobsbaum's
lot and Tom McGrath etc. But I was very new to things then
and all I remember is Tom Leonard's 'Six Glasgow POems' which
I think were re-issued about then. Although I knew Tony and Basil
in Newcastle it wasnt really till the 80s in Bath that I
started reading the up-to-date work. Till then I was teaching
myself from Ezra etc.



Douglas Clark, Bath, England           mailto: [log in to unmask]
Lynx: Poetry from Bath  ..........  http://www.bath.ac.uk/~exxdgdc/lynx.html

On Wed, 3 Apr 2002, Robin Hamilton wrote:

> Don't think this got through -- try again.
>
> R.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robin Hamilton" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: "Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and
> poetics" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 7:27 PM
> Subject: Re: Re: Kathleen Jamie
>
>
> > Sorry if my tone caught you sideways, dave.
> >
> > I've been thinking a little about this, via a backchannel query from
> Andrew
> > Duncan over Veronica Forrest-Thomson.
> >
> > I think my background may be a little specialised -- the core of the
> Glasgow
> > Language Wars broke out about 1967.  There were two key texts -- Tom
> > Leonard's _Six Glasgow Poems_ (well, specifically, "The Good Thief") and
> > Stephen Mulrine's "The Coming of the Wee Malkies".
> >
> > There's still a debate about which came first (my memories have it that
> > Tom's was the earlier text) but little argument that the problem was
> > relations with Kailyard.  Steve's Wee Malkies, whether or not it came
> first,
> > was both Kailyard and sentimental.  Which was one reason why _Glasgow
> > Beasts_ never had much influence.
> >
> > But my problem -- life for me began in 1965.  There were some around who
> > were a little earlier:  around Gilmorehill, Colin Kirkwood and Steve
> > Mulrine, and in Edinburgh Bob Tait and David Black.  But history didn't
> seem
> > to exist -- I came on V F-T later.  (Actually, Douglas Clark may be better
> > on me in this, as my impression is he was five years before me on The
> Hill.
> > And at that point, five years was a long time.)
> >
> > But when I was there, there were at least two things -- when I was there,
> I
> > +didn't+ have a good ear -- Tom and Jim Kelman were both +much+ better
> than
> > me.  Another was that the Language Wars were fought out in poetry --
> > Alastair Gray was writing _Lanark_ across this time, but _Lanark_ is
> pretty
> > light on language.  As was most of Jim Kelman's prose.  The exception was
> > "Nice Tae Be Nice", and +that+ (like _The Six Glasgow Poems_) smashed up
> > against the problem of literal censorship.
> >
> > To my mind, the novelists never really cracked the language problem before
> > _Trainspotting_.  Which was a lot later, and Edinburgh.
> >
> > And then I left.  So I don't have that much pertinent to say about Ms
> Flett.
> >
> > As to The Broons crack -- this wasn't entirely gratuitous.  Both Oor
> Wullie
> > and The Broons were weekly serials in _The Sunday Post_, but there was a
> > problem with them -- not the way we spoke.  There was a simple answer to
> > this -- it was the way they spoke in Dundee.  Both were franchised by the
> > Thomson Group, who were (still are?) based in Dundee.
> >
> > Simple if you think about it.
> >
> > Back to lurking.
> >
> > Cheers,
> >
> > Robin.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "david.bircumshaw" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 3:04 AM
> > Subject: Re: Kathleen Jamie
> >
> >
> > > Well, Mr Hamilton, unless you're an apparition, I'd say you are
> definitely
> > > +here+. Nobody, I think, was asking for involvement, I just put a call
> out
> > > on your ear, that's all, I don't know what's silly about that.
> > >
> > > Hi-jinks is one thing, and needed at times, but the joking doesn't mean
> > I'm
> > > not in earnest.
> > >
> > > Best
> > >
> > > Dave
> > >
> > >
> > > David Bircumshaw
> > >
> > > Leicester, England
> > >
> > > Home Page
> > >
> > > A Chide's Alphabet
> > >
> > > Painting Without Numbers
> > >
> > > http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/index.htm
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Robin Hamilton" <[log in to unmask]>
> > > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > > Sent: Monday, April 01, 2002 12:58 AM
> > > Subject: Re: Kathleen Jamie
> > >
> > >
> > > > we'd better leave this to Robin Hamilton (?)
> > >
> > > I'm not here.  I'm not involved.
> > >
> > > Try The Broons.
> > >
> > > Or IHF's _Glasgow Beasts_
> > >
> > > This is +so+ silly --
> > >
> > > There +was+ a time when there was blood on the tracks.
> > >
> > > Look, this was a LONG time ago.
> > >
> > > Nite,
> > >
> > > R/bn
> >
>