Hugh MacDiarmid

Hugh MacDiarmid was the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve (August 11, 1892 - September 9, 1978). He was probably the most important Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a truly Scottish version of modernism and was, perhaps, the leading light in the Scottish literary Renaissance of the 20th century. Unusually for a first generation modernist, he was a communist. Unusually for a communist, he was a committed Scottish nationalist. He wrote both in English and in literary Lowland Scots (Lallans).

Politics

In 1928, MacDiarmid helped found the National Party of Scotland. He was also a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. During the 1930s, he was expelled from the former for being a communist and from the latter for being a nationalist. In 1956, when many people were leaving in the aftermath of events in Hungary, MacDiarmid rejoined the Communist Party. In 1950, George Orwell compiled a list of suspected communist sympathisers for British intelligence. He included MacDiarmid in this list.

Related Topics:
1928 - National Party of Scotland - Communist Party of Great Britain - 1956 - Hungary - 1950 - George Orwell

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As Grieve, he stood in the 1950 election in the Glasgow Kelvingrove constituency as a Scottish Nationalist, coming last with 639 votes.

Related Topics:
1950 election - Glasgow Kelvingrove

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