Norman MacCaig at the Burn, Edzell, and correspondence with Trudy Wallace

The collection is composed of:

Folder 1:

• 1 x ts letter, 1p, dated 15 December 1982, from Marga E. Schmitz to 'Dear Mr MacCaig' laying out the agenda for the DAAD weekend and offering board and lodging and an honorarium
• 1 x ms letter, autograph signed, 1p, dated 21 February 1983, from Norman MacCaig to 'Dear Miss Wallace' indicating that he will arrive by train at Montrose and be met by Dr. Spear, and that some 30 years earlier he 'swore a resounding oath that never, never would I give the toast to the lassies'
• 1 x ms letter, autograph signed 'Norman', 1p, dated 22 July 1983, from Norman MacCaig to 'Trudy' thanking for 'the poem' and how a 'few people have written poems about me, to my blushing amazement, and I think that's the best of the lot'
• 1 colour postcard (produced by J. Arthur Dixon) of the Burn, Glenesk, Brechin, Angus
• 1 x colour photograph showing Norman MacCaig (right), with two lecturers from Stirling University at the 1983 DAAD Weekend

Folder 2:

• 1 x copy of the programme for 'DAAD Weekend for Anglisten in Scotland at The Burn, Glensesk, Edzell, Angus - 4 March to 6 March 1983'
• 1 x colour photograph (group) taken 5 March 1983 at the DAAD Weekend
• 1 x colour photograph (group), with MacCaig on the left, taken 5 March 1983 at the DAAD Weekend
• 1 x promotional leaflet for Norman MacCaig poetry afternoon event, Bath, 2010

The German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD) was founded in Heidelberg, Germany, in 1925. It has a long tradition of uniting people and academia and is one of the most important funding organisations in the world for the international exchange of students and researchers.

In 1983, a DAAD 'Weekend for Anglisten in Scotland' was organised and dedicated to Robert Burns, and it took place at The Burn, near Edzell, in Angus. Norman MacCaig (1910-1996), the poet, was invited to give a poetry reading on the evening of Saturday 5 March 1983.

The Burn, at the foot of Glenesk, is a small estate with mansion house originally built for General Lord Adam Gordon between 1791 and 1796. In the 1930s, the house was completely remodelled and modernised to provide a unique study and short-break centre to student groups from all parts of the world.

Open to bona fide researchers, but please contact repository for details in advance of visit.

Acquired as donation 2001 and 2015. Accession nos: E2001.01; E2015.44.

Catalogued by Graeme D. Eddie 5 June 2015

Check the catalogue for other archive material relating to MacCaig.