Literary papers of Thomas Sturdy Law (1916-1997), comprising manuscripts and typescripts of poems, and correspondence and papers relating to literary matters, Scottish socialism, and the Scots language.
Scope and Contents
Thomas Sturdy Law, though one of the lesser-known 20th century Scottish poets, is an interesting figure. From a mining background and largely self-educated, he worked almost exclusively in Scots throughout his long and prolific writing life, which co-existed with his career as a technical writer. His poems were published in many periodicals and latterly under his own imprint, Fingerpost Publicatiouns. Law was championed at various times by Christopher Grieve, Douglas Young, Hamish Henderson, Edwin Morgan and others - these, and many more of his contemporaries, feature in the correspondence files. The archive is imbued with Law’s passionate and life-long commitment to communism, republicanism, atheism, and a fierce Scottish nationalism. Tom Hubbard writes in his essay introducing Law`s `At the Pynt o the Pick and other poems` (Blackford: Fingerpost, 2008) that `T S Law ... is the bard of the democratic intellect. Here is working-class temperament, working-class sensibility, variously difficult and straightforward.` The archival evidence is there in the poetry and correspondence, and in the papers relating to his active involvement with the John MacLean Society, the National Assembly for Scotland campaign, and the Scots Language Society.
Dates
- Creation: 1943-1997.
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
3.84 Linear metres (32 boxes.)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Still to be decided.
Other Finding Aids
Inventory in preparation.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Bought, 2011.9 February 2011
Appraisal
Duplicated typescripts have been weeded out and returned to the vendor; some printed items not already in NLS collections were transferred to Printed Books.
Subject
- Law, Thomas Sturdy, poet, 1916-1997 (Person)
Genre / Form
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Local Descriptive Rules
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk