Walter Scott MacFarlane (1896-1979), bard and soldier, was born in the Margaree Valley, Cape Breton Island,in the Province Nova Scotia, Canada. He wrote songs and poetry in both Gaelic and English, although many of the Gaelic works have been lost. He fought in both World Wars, and this combined with his strong religious faith, is evident in much of his poetry. A collection of his work, entitled "Songs of the Valley" edited by Kay MacDonald and Pat MacFarlene was published in the 1980's.
Scott's reservations relate to the stolid appearance that he believed Raeburn had given him in his portraits of 1808 and 1809.
Scott undertook to make arrangements with Raeburn but, before he could do so, was himself contacted by Raeburn who wished to paint the writer for his private gallery of friends and associates.
It was agreed that Scott would sit for two portraits simultaneously, one for Lord Montagu, the other for Raeburn in exchange for a series of carvings from the ancient Mercat Cross of Edinburgh then to be found in the painter's gothic rockery.
Scott's work is not exclusively concerned with Scotland, but his popularity in England and further abroad did much to form the modern stereotype of Scottish culture.
Scott collected Scottish ballads and published The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border before launching into a novel-writing career in 1814 with Waverley, often called the first historical novel.
Many writers were influenced by the works, including the young WalterScott, before it eventually became clear that the poems were forgeries, although forgeries of some artistic merit.
Feeds |
Contact