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100 years on: Is ‘A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle’ still relevant today?
When
Sunday 13 September 2026
17:30 - 19:00
Where
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
22-26 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PQ
View directions on Google Maps
Format
Hybrid
Access
Hearing loop, Wheelchair access, Wheelchair accessible toilets
Age
Suitable for ages 16+
Cost
Free to book
About this event
An evening exploring one of Scotland’s most celebrated poems by Hugh MacDiarmid.
Hugh MacDiarmid was a controversial poet and political figure throughout his lifetime, and nearly 50 years after his death, his words still have the capacity to enthral, shock and astonish.
Now a century after the publication of MacDiarmid’s book-length poem, A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle, this Curious talk revisits what is often regarded as MacDiarmid’s Scots masterpiece.
Hear from renowned poets as they unpack the poem’s reputation today. What do artists, academics and the public think about it now? And does his work still hold relevance in today’s world?
This illustrated talk will place the poem in its cultural, political and biographical context. We’ll also hear readings of select passages, accompanied by short readings from Ayont the Thistle, a new book with more than 70 essays and poems responding to MacDiarmid’s poem.
Content Warning: This work was written in 1926 so may include some specific or outdated perspectives and language that don’t align with modern times or views.
Event type
Curious
Talk
Contributors
Dr James Robertson
Poet and novelistJames Robertson is a poet, translator, and writer of fiction. His novels include Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack, And the Land Lay Still and News of the Dead. From 1993 to 1995 he was writer-in-residence at Brownsbank Cottage, near Biggar, the final home of Hugh MacDiarmid. In 2002 he co-founded Itchy Coo, an imprint for books in Scots for young readers, and remains a contributing editor. He is currently writing a short history of Scotland for Yale University Press.
Alan Riach
Poet, Professor of Scottish Literature, University of GlasgowAlan Riach is a poet and Professor of Scottish Literature, Glasgow University. Born in Airdrie, he studied at the Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow, then worked at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, 1986-2000, and returned to Scotland in 2001. His books of poetry include The Winter Book, Homecoming, Wild Blue: Selected Poems and The MacDiarmid Memorandum. Works of criticism include Representing Scotland, Hugh MacDiarmid’s Epic Poetry and, co-authored with Alexander Moffat, Arts of Resistance: Poets, Portraits and Landscapes of Modern Scotland. His 734-page Scottish Literature: An Introduction (2022) was described in The Times as ‘magisterial’.
Jim Mackintosh
PoetJim Mackintosh’s seven collections include Flipstones and We are Migrant. His multimedia collaborations include Beyond the Swelkie with Duncan Chisholm & Hamish Napier and The Banes o the Turas with Ali Hutton. His residences include St Johnstone FC, The Hampden Collection, Cateran EcoMuseum, Bioregioning Tayside, and Makar of Federation of Writers Scotland. Jim was shortlisted for the Scots Book of the Year in 2023 and named Scots Writer of the Year in 2024.
Professor Kirstie Blair
Deputy Principal Academic, University of StirlingProfessor Kirstie Blair is Deputy Principal Academic and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Stirling. She has previously worked at the universities of Strathclyde and Glasgow. She specialises in the long nineteenth-century, and especially in working-class writing, poetry, periodical culture, literature and religion. Her latest book, Working Verse in Victorian Scotland: Poetry, Press, Community won the Saltire Society Book of the Year and Research Book of the Year awards in 2019. Her ongoing research relates to industrial heritage, working-class writing in Scotland and the North, and newspaper and periodical studies.
Contact us
If you have an event enquiry, please email us on public_engagement@theRSE.org.uk.Event testimonial
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What is Curious?
Curious is the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) free festival that celebrates the research, ideas and knowledge shaping society today.
Each year, Curious brings a packed programme of free in-person and online events covering themes from the arts, humanities, policy, science and more. To date, we’ve welcomed over 10,000 attendees for talks, workshops, exhibitions and discussions where you can learn from and speak with Scotland’s leading thinkers. As part of the RSE’s mission to make knowledge useful and accessible for everyone, Curious is open to anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them. No specialist knowledge is needed, just bring your curiosity.
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