Alexander Scott

J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.3: Scottish Writing and Culture, 400-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Gina Lyle (University of York), J. Derrick McClure (University of Aberdeen), Andrew Radford (University of Glasgow)

Dates

Born 28 Nov 1920
Died 14 Sep 1989
Activity 1940-1989

Places

Born in Scotland
Active in Scotland

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist
Poet
Scholar

Resources

Scott's Works

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Alexander Scott is a highly individual voice among the remarkable group of Scots-writing poets of the mid-twentieth century, noted for a characteristic vein of fiercely humorous satire and an unsurpassed technical virtuosity in manipulating the sounds and rhythms of Scots.

The city of Scott’s birth and upbringing exerted a fundamental influence on his poetic development: Aberdeen, known as the Granite City, is the centre of a region of Scotland where a strongly differentiated local dialect is still in general use and proudly maintained as a mark of regional identity. Scott’s favoured poetic medium is not the local dialect pur sang (as with many North-Eastern writers); but one of the distinctive features of his idiolect is the presence of enough North-Eastern words and rhymes to

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1423 words

Citation: McClure, J. Derrick. "Alexander Scott". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 September 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5480, accessed 24 November 2024.]