The Scottish School
Esperanto in Scotland
Course 1 · Chapter 7 · The Scottish Poets and the Twentieth Century
The first six chapters are set before the First World War, the years the surviving papers cover best. This chapter jumps to the middle of the century, where Scottish Esperanto produced its most famous names: four writers who published together in 1951, and one of them, William Auld, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The Scottish School
In 1951 an anthology called Kvaropo ("a foursome") brought together four writers: William Auld, John Dinwoodie, John Francis and Reto Rossetti. Biographies of Auld describe the book as the start of what is called the Scottish School. Auld is the best known of the four.
| Point | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| The four | Auld, Dinwoodie, Francis, Rossetti |
| The book | Kvaropo, 1951 in one biography. Wikipedia dates Auld's collection Spiro de l' pasio, published in it, to 1952, so the exact year is uncertain. |
| The publisher | The biography connects the book with the beginning of the house Stafeto, founded by Juan Régulo Pérez in La Laguna (Canary Islands). |
| The name | "Scottish School" is a label used by commentators, so it is not a formal society. |
William Auld (1924–2006)
Life
Born in Erith, England, on 6 November 1924; educated at Allan Glen's School in Glasgow; served in the Royal Air Force as a Spitfire pilot; studied English literature at Glasgow University and trained as a teacher. From 1960 he taught at a secondary school in Alloa and stayed there for the rest of his life. He died in Dollar on 11 September 2006 and is buried there.
Esperanto
A biography says he learned the language in 1937. He edited Esperanto en Skotlando from 1949 to 1955 and the Universal Esperanto Association's magazine Esperanto from 1955 to 1958. He was vice-president of the Association (1977–1980), president of the Esperanto Academy (1979–1983) and president of the Esperanto PEN Centre (1999–2005).
Work
His long poem La infana raso ("The Infant Race", 1956) is considered his masterpiece. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1999, 2004 and 2006, the first nominations for work in Esperanto.
The Journal and the Collection
Esperanto en Skotlando was a modest periodical that served as a forum for young writers while Auld edited it in 1949–1955. One source gives its start as 1947, so sources disagree on when it began; the safest statement is that Auld edited it in 1949–1955.
In 2001 Auld gave about 5,000 books on Esperanto to the National Library of Scotland. This is where a student who wants to read the poems in print can start, and it is a reminder that the library now keeps the printed record of the language in Scotland, as the Beveridge papers do at St Andrews.
What Else Is Known?
| Period | What is established here |
|---|---|
| 1912–1914 | The Beveridge papers and the Federation's activity (Chapters 3 and 4) |
| 1914–1918 | The First World War ends the planned congress; the sources do not describe the Scottish clubs in detail |
| 1926 | The Universal Congress meets in Edinburgh (Chapter 4) |
| 1930s–1940s | The study notes that Esperanto speakers were persecuted in the Second World War in various countries; the sources I read do not give a Scottish picture |
| 1949–1956 | Auld edits Esperanto en Skotlando; Kvaropo appears; La infana raso is published |
| 2001 | Auld's book donation to the National Library of Scotland |
A Short Reading in Esperanto
William Auld naskiĝis en 1924 kaj kreskis en Glasgovo. Li instruis en Alloa kaj verkis poemojn en Esperanto. En 2001 li donis proksimume kvin mil librojn al la Nacia Biblioteko de Skotlando.
naskiĝi (to be born) · kreski (to grow) · verki (to write, compose) · poemo (poem) · doni (to give) · biblioteko (library).
The meaning: William Auld was born in 1924 and grew up in Glasgow. He taught in Alloa and wrote poems in Esperanto. In 2001 he gave about five thousand books to the National Library of Scotland.
Exercises
List three facts about William Auld that the chapter gives with exact dates, and one fact where sources disagree.
"The Scottish School was a movement with a shared programme." Explain why the chapter does not accept that, and what you would need to read to test it.
Write two sentences in Esperanto about a writer you admire, saying where they grew up and that they wrote poems (use kreski and verki).
Quick Reference
- Scottish School: Auld, Dinwoodie, Francis, Rossetti; Kvaropo (1951 or 1952)
- William Auld: 1924–2006; taught in Alloa from 1960; La infana raso (1956); Nobel nominations 1999, 2004, 2006
- Journal: Esperanto en Skotlando, edited by Auld 1949–1955
- Collection: about 5,000 books given to the National Library of Scotland in 2001
- Gap: clubs between the wars and after