Derick Thomson
Derick Smith Thomson (
Life
Thomson was originally from
Educated at the
He is the author of numerous books including An Introduction to Gaelic Poetry, The Companion to Gaelic Poetry, European Poetry in Gaelic, and collections of Gaelic poetry, including his collected poems Creachadh na Clàrsaich (Plundering of the
His publications included such seminal works as the Gaelic Sources of Macpherson's Ossian, An Introduction to Gaelic Poetry, The Companion to Gaelic Scotland (edited by him) and Gaelic Poetry in the Eighteenth Century; his contributions to Welsh studies are also noteworthy. He worked to promote Scottish Gaelic literature, to take one example, as founder, editor and publisher of the quarterly "Gairm" since 1953. He was elected Fellow of the
Positions held
- Honorary President, Scottish Poetry Library
- Professor of Celtic, University of Glasgow– 1963–1991
- Chairman of the Gaelic Books Council
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Fellow of the British Academy
Publications
Poetry (own work):
- An Dealbh Briste / The Broken Picture (1951)
- Eadar Samhradh is Foghar / Between Summer and Autumn (1967)
- An Rathad Cian / Far Road (1970) – ISBN 978-0-901771-15-5
- Saora agus an Iolaire / Freedom and the Eagle (1977) – ISBN 978-0-901771-60-5
- Creachadh na Clàrsaich: Collected Poems, 1940–80 (1982) – ISBN 978-0-904265-57-6
- Meall Garbh: Rugged Mountain (1985) – ISBN 978-1-871901-37-5
- Bàrdachd na Roinn Eòrpa an Gàidhlig (1990) – ISBN 978-1-871901-05-4
- Smeur an Dòchais: The Bramble of Hope (1992) – ISBN 978-0-86241-351-4
- Sùil air Fàire (Surveying the Horizon) (2007) – ISBN 978-0-86152-335-1
Poetry (anthologies):
- An Introduction to Gaelic Poetry (1990) – ISBN 978-0-7486-0127-1
- Gaelic Poetry in the Eighteenth Century: A Bilingual Anthology (1993) – ISBN 978-0-948877-19-3
- Alasdair MacMhaighstir Alasdair: Selected Poems (1996) – ISBN 978-1-85500-059-9
Various:
- The Gaelic sources of Macpherson's "Ossian" (Aberdeen University studies series;no.130) (1952)
- Branwen Uerch Lyr: The Second of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi (Mediaeval & Modern Welsh) (1961) – ISBN 978-1-85500-059-9
- Gaelic Learner's Handbook (1973) – ISBN 978-0-901771-41-4
- Bith-Eòlas (Biology Textbook) (1976) – ISBN 978-0-901771-53-7
- Gàidhlig ann an Albainn/ Gaelic in Scotland: Bilingual Examination of the Place of Gaelic in Scottish Life (1976) – ISBN 978-0-901771-54-4
- New English-Gaelic Dictionary (1981) – ISBN 978-0-901771-65-0
- Why Gaelic Matters (1984) – ISBN 978-0-85411-028-5
- The Companion to Gaelic Scotland (1987) – ISBN 978-0-631-15578-2
- Languages of Scotland: International Conference Proceedings: Gaelic and Scots in Harmony 2nd, 1988 (1990) – ISBN 978-0-903204-19-4
Co-author:
- Edward Lhuyd in the Scottish Highlands (1963) 1699–1700 – ISBN 978-0-19-811929-6
- Future of the Highlands (1968) – ISBN 978-0-7100-6052-5
- Combined Gaelic-English, English-Gaelic Dictionary (1982) – ISBN 978-1-871901-11-5
- Minority Languages Today (1990) – ISBN 978-0-85224-642-9
- MacDiarmid MS Anthology (1992) – ISBN 978-0-7073-0612-4
- Scotland O Gael an Lawlander (1996) – ISBN 978-1-871901-40-5
Recordings:
- Nyvaigs (2000) Jennifer Margaret Barker, Composer's Recording Inc./New World Records, CRI862, NWCR862[5] (recitation of his own poem Geodha Air Chùl Na Grèine)
References
- ^ a b c "University of Glasgow :: Story :: Biography of Derick Smith Thomson". www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Derick Thomson - Poet". Scottish Poetry Library. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "0 Poet and scholar steeped in Gaelic culture". Gaelport. 7 February 2015. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ^ "Sir John Rhys Memorial Lectures". The British Academy.
- ^ Nyvaigs CD liner notes, Retrieved 25 October 2018.
Academic articles and lectures available in open access
- Black, Ronald. “Sorley MacLean, Derick Thomson, and the Women Most Dangerous to Men,” The Bottle Imp 21: June 2017.
- Dymock, Emma. "The Gaelic Poetry of Derick Thomson," video lecture (Association for Scottish Literary Studies, 2020), YouTube.
- Meek, Donald E. "Appreciation of Professor Derick S. Thomson: funeral oration," Passages from Tiree (blog post).
- Poncarová, Petra Johana. "Derick Thomson and Ireland," Litteraria Pragensia 33:65 (2023).
- Poncarová, Petra Johana. "Derick Thomson and the Ossian Controversy," Anglica 29:3 (2020).
- Poncarová, Petra Johana. "Eadar Canaan is Garrabost (Between Canaan and Garrabost): Religion in Derick Thomson’s Lewis Poetry," Studies in Scottish Literature 46:1 (2020).
External links
- Scottish Poetry Library entry (bio, poems in English and Gaelic, bibliography)
- BBC Bio – Làrach nam Bàrd (bio, poems in Gaelic with commentary, recordings)
- Derick Thomson website (in Gaelic)
- Audio clip: obituary and tributes to Thomson (in Gaelic)