In the midst of our human civil war: Hamish Henderson’s war poetry and soldier’s songs

Gibson, C. (2014) In the midst of our human civil war: Hamish Henderson’s war poetry and soldier’s songs. Studies in Scottish Literature, 40(1), pp. 146-166.

Abstract

Surveys the war poetry of the Scottish poet, folklorist, and folk-singer Hamish Henderson (1919-2002), including his service with the 51st Highland Division in the Western Desert and Sicily, drawing a contrast between his long modernist poem Elegies for the Dead in Cyrenaica (1948) and the songs in his collection Ballads of World War II (Glasgow: Lili Marleen Club, 1947), in light of Henderson's developing political ideas and engagement with the Italian cultural theorist Antonio Gramsci.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gibson, Dr Corey
• Authors: Gibson, C.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > Scottish Literature
• Journal Name: Studies in Scottish Literature
• Publisher: University of South Carolina
• ISSN: 0039-3770
• ISSN (Online): 0039-3770