Alastair Reid
Alastair Reid (1926-2014) was one of Scotland’s most famous literary figures, admired for his prose and translation, and also for his lighthearted style of poems. Reid was born in Whithorn, Galloway, Scotland, where his father was a clergyman. His education at the University of St. Andrews was interrupted by the outbreak of WW II. He was conscripted into the Navy, and became a code breaker. Reid returned to St. Andrews after the war and earned a degree in Classics. During his lifetime, he lived, wrote and taught in many places around the world, including the U.S., Spain, Greece, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Mexico – though he frequently returned to Scotland to visit the Galloway countryside. He wrote regularly for the New Yorker magazine for many years, and published more than forty books of poems, translations and travel writing. Alastair Reid died in 2014, aged 88. Photo by Francis Hills (www.francishills.com)
A wry and insightful poem by one of Scotland’s most clever poets, that takes an astute look at the differences between cats and dogs. Continue reading →
