Beyond the Sun

For years, Scotland has nurtured the connection between literature and art. This collection adds a further dimension to this flowering connection between poetry and painting. Topping the list of Scotland's favourite paintings is Salvador Dali's Christ of St John of the Cross, but also included are poignant classics such as Avril Paton's Windows in the West and Sir Henry Raeburn's Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch. Edwin Morgan, Scotland's National Poet, was so fascinated and inspired by the paintings that he wrote a poem to honour each one. The result is a wonderfully moving collection.

Edwin Morgan Edwin Morgan was born in Glasgow in 1920. His studies at Glasgow University were interrupted in 1940 when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, but he returned to university and graduated with a First Class Honours degree. Turning down a scholarship at Oxford, he lectured at Glasgow University until 1980. He has published numerous volumes of poetry and translated works from many languages. His various awards include the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2000 and the prestigious Weidenfeld Prize for Translation in 2001. In 1999 he became Glasgow's first Poet Laureate, and in 2004 was given the title of Scotland's National Poet.