Scots Language Awards 2023: Brian Holton

Weel duin tae Brian Holton wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Book o the Year in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https://handsup.link/SLA-BuyTickets.

We askit Brian Holton o Brian Holton thae speirins.

Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.
A wis born in Galashiels in 1949, an wis learnit Chinese at the universities o Embra and Durham. A’ve owreset a dizzen o Yang Lian’s books: A Tower Built Downward, Anniversary Snow Venice Elegy, Narrative Poem, an mair.
Ma ingaitherin o classical Chinese poems in Scots, Staunin Ma Lane, was furthset bi Shearsman Books in 2016, an ma Hard Roads an Cauld Hairst Winds bi Taproot Press in 2022, an in 2023, Aa Cled Wi Clouds She Cam, frae Irish Pages.
A wis an academic but A’m better nou: A leirit Chinese leid an literature at Edinburgh, Durham, an Newcastle, an Chinese-English owresettin at Newcastle an the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
As a bairn A bade in Lagos, Embra, Falkirk, Gala, an Selkirk. Nou A bide in Melrose, in ma ain cauf kintra.
A’ve been cried “the foremost translator from Chinese of his generation.” (Jim Gilchrist), “a master of the Scots tongue” (Robert Alan Jamieson), “the living master of literary Scots” (Kathleen Jamie), an fowk hae descyvit ma wark as “…‘versions’ which through his exquisite virtuosity bring us a set of works which are unique in history, special in expression and timeless in their universality” (Johnny Rodger), “a unique – and uniquely poetic achievement: (Prof. W.N. Herbert) an “magical Scots recreations… Holton finds the exact voice for this unheard music” (Prof. John Minford).

Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?
Ma faither’s fowk wir frae Waterford, but ma mither’s wir aa Borderers: Youngs an McDiarmids frae Selkirk, Raes an Johnstons frae Gala.
A did Higher English at Gala Academy under Donald McInnes, whae gart us read Scots as weill as English. We read the Makars, like Henryson, Dunbar, an Gawain Douglas, an the Border Ballads, Stevenson, Scott, an Hogg, up ti the likes o Garioch, McDiarmid, Sydney Goodsir Smith, an Lewis Grassic Gibbon.
Ae simmer forenicht in 1965, a heard a Selkirk lad say, “Ir oo aa gaun soomin at the Skerrs the morn’s morn?” An on a suddentie A kent whit A’d heard wisnae the ‘bad English’ the dominies forbade, or onie kin o ‘slang’, but a leid in its ain richt. Donald McInnes’s lessons had sunk in, sae A set maself ti read aa the Scots A cud finnd, an spent mair time listenin ti fowk aboot uis , auld an young.
Owresttin inti Scots cam in 1981. At the college A fell in luve wi Shuihu Zhuan (aka Water Margin), a tale o caterans an reivers, the first maisterwark o vernacular Chinese, scrievit in a leid that’s fresh, new-made, an souple. Yae day A wis tellin my wife hou A cudna mak it wark in English, an she said “Weill, hou no try it in Scots?”
A’d never been taught ti write Scots, didnae ken cud A dae’t or no. But neist day A sat doun at the typewriter, an the firsten chapter juist fell onti the page. I hadnae kent A hed the skeil o this, an the match with tongue o the original was that neat, A wis amazed an delytit. Whan A’d feenisht the chapter, A sent it ti ma teachers in Embra, an they gied it ti the editor o Cencrastus, wha tuik it for the magazine. An that wis hou A gat ma stert.

Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?
Uise it or loss it. Gin oo dinnae, oo’ll juist get drount out wi the yammer o English, an the’re nae en o pruifs that wee minority leids like ours needs ti be seen an heard in season an out o season, for ti byde in life, souple, forcie, an in guid hairt.

Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?
Haud aye forrit wi an eident hairt.

Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?
Ma grandfaither Samuel McDiarmid Young, ma granny Chrissie Young (née Rae), an ma great-aunt Kate Smith (née Young), as weill as ma mither Isobel Young, aa Scots speakers, the aulder yins wi right braid auld-farrant Border tongues on them. Ma late twin brither Harvey wis a constant inspiration, an sae wis Walter Elliot frae Selkirk, that A warkit wi at BBC Radio Tweed in the echties.

Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?
The’re plenty Scots spoken in the Borders yit, for aa the’re sae monie incomers, an A hear it on Melrose High Street ilka day.
Aathing chynges. The isogloss atween Border Scots an Central Scots wis yince atween Gala an Peebles, but nou young fowk in Gala soun like they’re frae Midlothian: whether that’s frae the Glesca an Embra owerspill incomers in the saxties or no, A dinna ken. A jalouse the new isogloss‘ll be in about Lindean, atween Gala an Selkirk.
But it’s juist deid tongues that disnae chynge, sae there’s life in the auld leid yit.

Ony particlar career heighlichts
A’m proud o winnin the Robert Tannahill Prize, 2017, wi ma coronach For Ma Faither (https://www.scotslanguage.com/articles/view/id/5088).
An A’m juist as proud that me an Yang Lian gat the firsten 2021 Sarah McGuire Prize for Poetry Translation for Anniversary Snow (Shearsman Books, 2019).
A wis fair tickled that Hard Roads an Cauld Hairst Winds won ti the shortleet in the 2022 Scots Leid Awards.

Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?
A’m ettlin ti keep warkin on FAAIN FLOUERS LICHT AS DREAMS: Mair Chinese Lyrics, follaein up Aa Cled Wi Clouds She Cam, for Irish Pages in 2024-5. It’ll hae anither walin o poems frae the anthology 300 Song Ci.
An there’ll be anither twae books bi Yang Lian ti come: yin’s juist about feenisht, and he’s juist sent uis the firsten few pages o the yin eftir that.

The Scots Language Awards are in the Johnstone Toon Ha, Johnstone on 16th September at 7pm. Tickets are available to buy here: https://handsup.link/SLA-BuyTickets There wull be some grand entertainmint oan the nicht tae, includin a recital fae Renfrewshire’s poet laureate Shaun Moore,wha wis appointit as the region’s Tannahill Makar last year. talks fae weel regairdit Scots scrievers Cat Cochrane an Shane Strachan, alang wi musical performances fae celebratit multi-instumentalist brithers Euan and Lewis McLaughlin, an sangster Iona Fyfe.

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