Friends share their passion of Soutar

Jan 30 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE Friends of William Soutar Society are lining up a series of events later this year in their continuing quest to raise the profile of the Fair City poet and bring his works to a new readership.

One of these will be a Perth Youth Theatre (PYT) production of a play written by Ajay Close, the Soutar Writer in Residence.

It will be staged on July 3 and 4 as part of the PYT Festival Week.

“The play is a fantasy on Soutar through the eyes of his adopted sister Evelyn,” Iain Mackintosh, society chairman, explained this week.

“The provisional title is ‘The Keekin Gless’ but this may change prior to July. We have signed a contract with PYT. Rehearsals begin in February.”

The Friends of William Soutar Society was formed in May, 2007, and is dedicated to raising awareness of the poet, whom they describe as “a forgotten national treasure.”

Alongside Hugh MacDiarmid, Soutar was a leading figure in the 20th century Scottish Renaissance movement.

Soutar was born in Perth in 1898 and, apart from naval service in WWI and studying at Edinburgh University, he lived there all his life.

He suffered from a form of spinal arthritis from his early 20s and his last 13 years were spent bedridden in his parents' house at 27 Wilson Street, in the Craigie district of Perth.

There he wrote, read and entertained a ceaseless stream of visitors up to his death, in 1943, of tuberculosis.

The society has a committee of 15 trustees busy with fund-raising and preparing their major event in July.

There are two tourist walks around Perth taking in landmarks that Soutar knew and locations which inspired his poetry.

Leaflets indicating the routes are available from the AK Bell Library, the Fergusson Gallery, Perth Museum and Art Gallery and Perth Tourist Information.

A ring sculpture by David Annand, inspired by Soutar’s poem, Nae Sae Dark, can also be seen outside the former Woolworth store in Perth’s High Street.

Nae day sae dark; nae wud sae bare;

Nae grund sae stour wi' stane;

But licht comes through; a sang is there;

A glint o' grass is green.

What hasna thol'd his thorter'd hours

And kent, whan they were by,

The tenderness o' life that fleurs

Rock-fast in misery?

Anyone who would like to become a member of the society and join them in celebrating hiswork can log onto www.williamsoutar.com

Society membership is free.