Robert Crawford

By Evie Copland

As far as Burns biographies go, this is not the first, but author Robert Crawford firmly believes that his could be the finest one yet. “It contains new material. Things like poems, rediscovered interviews and manuscripts and it is more nuanced than earlier biographies of Burns. Though there have been a lot of biographies, I felt none got him quite right,” says Crawford.

This new biography of Burns is not just aimed at the fans of Crawford or solely Burns fans. Crawford himself has not always had the influence of the great Bard in his life. “At school, I loved the poems of TS Elliot much more than that of Burns. Too many teachers seem to have problems teaching great poetry.”

When asked about the difficulties faced when writing the book, he calmly replies, “The biggest difficulty was time. I only finished Scotland’s Books- my Penguin history of Scottish literature in mid-2006 and had to deliver the Burns biography by the start of 2008. On the other hand, I had been thinking about Burns and his biography for about twenty years so maybe it was good to have to write it with a certain fluent speed.”

He explains that he had greater access to the poet’s work: “I was the first biographer to be able to make full use of the digital scholarship, but I also went to his farms and houses and looked at all the manuscripts available.”

There are many good things that come when writing a book of this calibre. He says: “I feel I have now got a real sense of how wonderfully companionable, and how complicated, Robert Burns was. His life was full of drama and charisma.”

The St Andrews University professor has been hard at work and but managed to enjoy the 250th anniversary of Burns’ birth. He says: “I’ve been doing a lot of interviews and talks, but the truth is that I spent Burns Night at home with my family. And yes, we did eat haggis.”

Does Burns still have a place in 2009? He replies: “Oh yes. Definitely. He is clearly someone we’re still fascinated by. When I first started on this book I realised it was the first book I’d written that I could discuss with my kids who had learned some Burns at primary school.”

With two new books in the pipeline for release in the near future, it is clear that Robert will be a busy man. Having just returned from Washington D.C where he was giving readings and talks, he says: “Burns has always been very popular in the USA, and his present day admirers include Maya Angelou and Kofi Annan. I’m told that Auld Lang Syne has been sung in more movies than any other song except Happy Birthday! It’s great that the Library of Congress has hosted a Burns celebration.”

Robert will be speaking at the Words By The Water Festival on Friday 27 February. The Bard: Robert Burns, a Biography is available now.