George Campbell Hay
Encyclopedia
George Campbell Hay was a Scottish
poet and translator, who wrote in Scottish Gaelic
, Lowland Scots
and English. He used the patronymic
Deòrsa Mac Iain Dheòrsa. He also wrote poetry in French
, Italian
and Norwegian
, and translated poetry from many languages into Gaelic.
, Renfrewshire
, and brought up in Tarbert, Kintyre and Argyll
. He was educated at Fettes College
(which he despised) and the University of Oxford
. He served in the British Army in North Africa during World War II
, a region which featured in much of his work and then lived for a long period in Edinburgh.
He was a Scottish nationalist. His life was difficult, with long periods of hard living.
He was the son of the novelist John MacDougall Hay
(1880-1919).
He was a frequent contributor to Gairm
magazine, and other Gaelic periodicals, and his best work appeared in that language. Because of the general ignorance of Gaelic amongst much of Scotland's literati and academia, and the lack of translations, this body of work has been little examined until recently. Mochtar is Dughall, an epic about a Highland soldier, and a North African Arab in World War II is commonly considered to be his greatest work.
He was strongly influenced by Hugh MacDiarmid
, and the Scottish Renaissance
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
poet and translator, who wrote in Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic language
Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language native to Scotland. A member of the Goidelic branch of the Celtic languages, Scottish Gaelic, like Modern Irish and Manx, developed out of Middle Irish, and thus descends ultimately from Primitive Irish....
, Lowland Scots
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
and English. He used the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
Deòrsa Mac Iain Dheòrsa. He also wrote poetry in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, and translated poetry from many languages into Gaelic.
Life
He was born in ElderslieElderslie
Elderslie is a village in the council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The village is situated midway between the nearby towns of Paisley and Johnstone....
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, and brought up in Tarbert, Kintyre and Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
. He was educated at Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
(which he despised) and the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He served in the British Army in North Africa during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a region which featured in much of his work and then lived for a long period in Edinburgh.
He was a Scottish nationalist. His life was difficult, with long periods of hard living.
He was the son of the novelist John MacDougall Hay
John MacDougall Hay
John MacDougall Hay was a Scottish novelist, best known for his work Gillespie.He was the father of George Campbell Hay, the Scottish Gaelic poet....
(1880-1919).
Work
He was a multilingual poet, but his work outside Gaelic was little published in his lifetime. His Collected Poems and Songs appeared in 2000, edited by Michel Byrne, and has attracted new attention to his work.He was a frequent contributor to Gairm
Gairm
Gairm was a Scottish Gaelic language quarterly magazine, founded in 1951 by Derick Thomson, and Finlay J. MacDonald . Its first issue was published in Autumn 1952. MacDonald served as an editor until 1964; Thomson remained present for decades until it ceased publication in 2004, producing just over...
magazine, and other Gaelic periodicals, and his best work appeared in that language. Because of the general ignorance of Gaelic amongst much of Scotland's literati and academia, and the lack of translations, this body of work has been little examined until recently. Mochtar is Dughall, an epic about a Highland soldier, and a North African Arab in World War II is commonly considered to be his greatest work.
He was strongly influenced by Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
, and the Scottish Renaissance
Scottish Renaissance
The Scottish Renaissance was a mainly literary movement of the early to mid 20th century that can be seen as the Scottish version of modernism. It is sometimes referred to as the Scottish literary renaissance, although its influence went beyond literature into music, visual arts, and politics...
.