From the Line: Scottish War Poetry 1914-1945?

Edited and introduced by David Goldie and Roderick Watson, (Glasgow: Association for Scottish Literary Studies, 2014)

The first half of the 20th century witnessed two catastrophic global conflicts, with suffering on a scale that – thankfully – later generations find hard to comprehend. The full story of what it was like to endure these wars might never be told, because many who survived chose not to speak – or could not speak – of what they saw and suffered. But some could turn to poetry, to try and make sense of what was happening. This book brings together the best of Scotland’s poetry from the two World Wars: 138 poems, from 56 poets, are represented here, from both men and women, from battlefields across the world and from the Home Front, too.

REVIEW EXTRACT

“David Goldie and Rory Watson have edited a very readable and wide-ranging collection of Scottish War Poetry 1914-1945. […] Within the covers, the editors have given us a wide-ranging selection of poems by writers whose experience of the wars went far beyond the customary major theatres of conflict. In fact, to a degree they have interestingly redefined the concept of war poetry. […] From the Line will always be a pleasure to revisit.”

– Allan MacGillivray, The Bottle Imp, Issue 15