Hamish Henderson
Country
Scotland
Birth - Death
1919 - 2002
Occupation
Poet
Description
Poet, songwriter and political activist. A noted folk song collector and supporter who discovered several prominent performers in the genre - he is considered the founding father of the Scottish folk renaissance of the twentieth century. Collections include 'Ballads Of World War II - A Collection Of Songs In Five Languages', 'Elegies For The Dead In Cyrenaica' (1949), 'Prison Letters of Antonio Gramsci' (1974), 'Alias MacAlias: Writings on Songs, Folk and Literature' (1992), and 'The Armstrong Nose: Selected Letters of Hamish Henderson' (1996). Among his best-known songs are the internationalist anthem ‘The Freedom Come-All-Ye’, the pro-land-reform ‘Men of Knoydart’, and ‘Rivonia’, an impassioned plea to release Nelson Mandela. Co-founded the School of Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh. LGBTQ activist. Bisexual.
