Sorley MacLean
| Sorley MacLean | |
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| Native name | Somhairle MacGill-Eain |
| Born | 26 October 1911 Osgaig, Raasay, Scotland |
| Died | 24 November 1996 (aged 85) |
| Occupation | School teacher |
| Genre | Gaelic poetry |
Sorley MacLean (Scottish Gaelic: Somhairle MacGill-Eain, sometimes MacGilleathain in earlier publications; 26 October 1911 – 24 November 1996) was one of the most significant Scottish poets of the 20th century. He wrote about love, heartbreak, the Cuillin, the Spanish Civil War, Hugh MacDiarmid, Communism and nationalism, often several in the same poem.
He was born at Osgaig on the island of Raasay on 26 October 1911, where Scottish Gaelic was the first language. He attended the University of Edinburgh and was an avid shinty player for the university team. After earning a First class degree, he returned to the Highland and Island community to teach. He was instrumental in preserving the teaching of Gaelic in Scottish schools.
MacLean turned away from the Presbyterian faith of his community in his early teens. Like many European intellectuals of that day, his sympathies moved to the far left. Much of his work touched on specifically political themes and references, and his position was overtly Stalinist until the mid-1940s, although he was never a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. He was also a skilled and delicate writer of love poetry.
He served with the British Army in North Africa during World War II and was wounded on three occasions, once severely during the Battle of El Alamein.
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