Hugh McDiarmid

I was photographing some sculpture in Edinburgh today.   This business area has a landscaped walkway with busts of around 12 Scottish writers and poets.

This one is of Hugh MacDiarmid (1892 - 1978) who worked as a journalist in Scotland and Wales.  One of his most famous poems was "A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle" an expression of his critical nationalism and fervent internationalism.  He was a member of the Cummunist Party and a founding member of the National Party of Scotland.   He was expelled from, and later rejoined, both!  

This one particularly caught my eye as I did for a short time know his late son, who was also a journalist.