Papers of Norman Alexander MacCaig, 1910-1996, primary school teacher and poet

This material is held atUniversity of Stirling Archives & Special Collections

Scope and Content

  • Poems (typescript) c1974-1976
  • Correspondence 1981
  • Personal papers c1992
  • Correspondence on literary matters 1980-1992
  • Booklets or poems presented by various authors to MacCaig 1980-1986
  • Typescript collection of poems by Bryan Walters 1984-1985
  • 16 typescript poems, 525 copies of poems, list of 58 poems, with A Daylight Art for Norman MacCaig by Seamus Heaney 1971-1992

Administrative / Biographical History

Norman Alexander MacCaig (1910-1996 ), poet, was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Royal High School and the University of Edinburgh where he studied classics. His father was a chemist and his mother was born in Scalpay, Harris, Scotland. MacCaig was a dedicated primary school teacher for almost 40 years. His two anthologies Far Cry (1943 ) and The Inward Eye were said to put him in the New Apocalypse school but he later disowned these poems when his Collected Poems were published in 1985 . Other collections include: The Sinai Sort (1957 ), A Round of Applause (1962 ), Measures (1965 ), A Man In My Position (1969 ), The White Bird (1973 ), The Equal Skies (1980 ), A World of Difference (1963 ), Voice-Over (1988 ) and Collected Poems (new ed, 1990 ). He was the first fellow in creative writing at the University of Edinburgh (1967-1969 ) and (after retiring from school-teaching) lectured in English Studies at the University of Stirling (1970-1979 ). He was awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 1986 .

Arrangement

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Unknown

Other Finding Aids

Data about collection held on Stirling University Library web-based catalogue.

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Manager, Library Liaison and Training.

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents.

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 559 procedures

Custodial History

Unknown

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

For further information about related material with a GB repository code consult the National Register of Archives search page, hosted on the National Archives website.

Location of Originals

This material is original

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

Fonds level description compiled by H M Kemp and Alan Borthwick, Scottish Archive Network project, 10 May 2002.