On this day in 2004

Edwin Morgan was appointed the first modern Makar, or national poet for Scotland, after being selected by the Scottish Parliament. Candidates for the role are now considered by an expert panel, which makes its recommendation, via the Scottish Government, to the First Minister.

Although the term generally runs for three years, with a £15,000 allowance for the costs involved in writing poems to mark significant events, promoting poetry, and travelling to events, Morgan remained Makar until his death on 19 August 2010, when he was succeeded by Lanarkshire-born Liz Lochhead.

Individual Scottish cities, including Dundee and Edinburgh, have since instituted their own Makars.

Although the modern Makar role was established in 2004, the name ‘makar’ itself is not new, with a history stretching back some 600 years. The term was then more generally used to describe a notable poet.

Edwin Morgan, first modern Makar

Morgan was born in Glasgow in April 1920, was educated at the University of Glasgow – where he later became a lecturer – and died in the city in August 2010. He was a conscientious objector during the Second World War, actively supported LGBT rights after coming out in 1990, and had one of his poems read at the 2004 opening of the Scottish Parliament.

He actively compiled scrapbooks throughout his life. These, along with a more extensive archive of papers from his life, are now cared for by the University of Glasgow.

 

...and on this day in 1984

One of the best-known and most influential writers in modern Scottish history, Banks had written several full-length pieces before achieving widespread acclaim for his first novel, The Wasp Factory, which was published on 16 February 1984.

Thus began a prolific career in which Banks produced a book every year until his death in 2013. To distinguish his science fiction work from the rest of his output, he added an M to his name, publishing as Iain M Banks.

Cancer diagnosis

Banks was diagnosed with late-stage gall bladder, cancer, which had spread to other organs. “I’m expected to live for ‘several months’ and it’s extremely unlikely I’ll live beyond a year. So, it looks like my latest novel, The Quarry, will be my last,” he wrote on his website. “As a result, I’ve withdrawn from all planned public engagements, and I’ve asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour helps).”

Andrew Brown, writing in The Guardian, called his proposal “one of the most memorable sentences of [Banks’] lifetime, not just his life”.

Posthumous publication

The Quarry was published posthumously – and so was a volume of poetry. The Quarry dealt with cancer, but Banks told the BBC he was already close to 90,000 words through the manuscript before he was diagnosed himself. Although he was given finished copies of the book before dying and had asked his publisher to pull forward the publication date to give him a chance to see it on shelves, he didn’t live long enough to see its launch.

Shortly after his death, an asteroid – 5099 Ianbanks – was named in his honour.