Features

Ernest Hemingway was one of the most important and divisive literary figures of the twentieth century – ahead of a major TV documentary series on his life, Cliff looks at his works and influence: Around fifteen years ago, I decided I would spend an entire month devoted to Ernest Hemingway. I’ve always enjoyed setting myself peculiar goals, and this was borne out of the fact that, apart from reading The Sun Also Rises as a precocious teenager, I hadn’t really … Read more

Robert Burns (1759-1796), a well-known Scottish poet and lyricist, has given us many much-loved texts: ‘Auld Lang Syne’, ‘A Red, Red Rose’ and ‘A Man’s A Man for A’ That’ to name but a few. Writing in both Scots and English, his poetry and songs are read and studied around the world. He became a Scottish cultural icon and an inspiration to the founders of liberalism and socialism. This Burns’ Night, we’ve gathered a few favourites from Rabbie Burns’ canon … Read more

There are hundreds of Christmas stories, that have recorded traditions and started them. In preparation for Christmas, we thought we’d share a few literary Christmas facts about the stories we love and the people who wrote them: Christina Rossetti wrote the words to the Christmas carol ‘In the Bleak Midwinter.’ T. S. Eliot’s poem ‘Journey of the Magi’ was originally commissioned to be included in a Christmas card. In Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Tiny Tim was originally going to be … Read more