Scots poet
Hugh MacDiarmid 's epic work in a musical setting composed and conducted by William Sweeney.
In the most important
Scottish literary work of the 20th century, MacDiarmid examines the psychology of a drunk Scotsman and of his nation.
After a binge, the Drunk Man finds himself on a hillside and confronted by a great Thistle. Goaded by the sight of his national emblem, he bemoans the state of Scottish culture and the betrayal of artistic genius. When he finally turns for home, he may have achieved a kind of redemption.
Narrator lain Cuthbertson
Allan Watt (baritone) Producer Dave Batchelor
(First broadcast on Radio Scotland)