Many who endured the two catastrophic global conflicts of the twentieth century chose not to speak – or could not speak – of what they saw and suffered. But some could turn to poetry, to try to make sense of what was happening.

From the Line brings together the best of Scotland’s poetry from the two World Wars: 138 poems, from fifty-six poets, are represented here, from both men and women, from battlefields across the world and from the Home Front, too.

Some reflect on the loss of peace, or mourn the death of friends and comrades. Some tell of traumas that can never be shaken off, others of an intensity that would never be found again – but there is hope, too, and moments of humour, compassion and decency that still survive.

See

for a complete contents list.

David Goldie is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Strathclyde, and has written extensively on the literatures of the First World War.

Roderick Watson is Professor Emeritus in English Studies at the University of Stirling. Himself a published poet, he has written and lectured widely on Scottish literature and cultural identity.