Fergusson, Robert | Alexander Manson Kinghorn (essay date 1974)
Alexander Manson Kinghorn (essay date 1974)
SOURCE: An introduction to Poems by Allan Ramsay and Robert Fergusson, edited by A. M. Kinghorn and A. Law, Rowman & Littlefield, 1974, pp. vii-xxxiv.
[An English critic, Kinghorn is widely considered an authority on Scottish poetry. In the following excerpt, he and Law, a Scottish writer who co-edited with Kinghorn The Works of Allan Ramsay (1961-74), discuss Fergusson's innovative use of language and poetic form, praising "his ability to associate language and locale in unexpected ways."]
Fergusson did not live long enough to attract attention outside his immediate circle, which was unlucky, since it is unlikely that he would have long remained without wider recognition at a time when all but the most conventional Scottish tastes were veering towards the home-bred, and when there was a dearth of significant poets. His premature departure from the scene left the role of upholder...
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