Chapman Issue 99

Issue: 99 - Multiculturalism Rules OK

A fascinating article by Richard Blaustein outlines unexpected parallels between Scotland and Appalachia: both experienced oppression in language, music, politics and culture despite the rich uniqueness of their traditions. Find out the real origin of ?Old MacDonald Had A Farm?! Isha Kishore also provides provocative new insights into Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, revealing a literary snobbery resulting in the devaluation of his own translations. Short stories by Ron Butlin throw composers Bach and Telemann into new light, Aimée Chalmers mingles childhood discovery of sex with the works of Aristotle, Annie Kerr bowls a few hot ‘Great Balls ae Fire’ and Margaret Elphinstone celebrates ?The Happiest Pigs in the World!. Among our poetry is a new sequence by Daniel Weissbort i.m. Ted Hughes, also work from Christine de Luca, Gordon Legge, Ian McDonough, Stephen Taylor, Gavin Bowd, Brian Louis Pearce, Peter Cameron translates Paul Celan into Scots and Stuart B Kelly advises how to get over God – our usual unpredictable mix of poetry, fiction and reviews. Most exciting of all is the looming Chapman 100th centenary edition representing 32 years of continuous publication – a double-number with all manner of surprises, including a reissuing of unique essays on the sources of their poetic inspiration, specially written for Chapman 16 by Norman MacCaig, Sorley MacLean, Iain Crichton Smith, George Mackay Brown, Kathleen Raine and Tom Scott. But the main body of No 100-1 will be special pieces in ‘party spirit’ from regular contributors over the years, famous and infamous, – and, as always, work from writers new to the magazine. It will be a collector’s piece. Dec 2000, 144 pp, 215 x 150 mm ISBN-10: 1-903700-04-3, ISBN-13 / 978-1-903700-04-4 £5.80