Why We Celebrate Burns Night, by Horace Broon, Class 4A

January 25th is Burns Night, the birthday of the poet Robert Burns. He was born in 1759, nearly 250 years ago, so what is so important about this Scottish writer that we celebrate his birthday in preference to others?

His work has many facets to it. We have Burns the ploughman poet, close to nature and empathising with a helpless animal in “To a Mouse”; we have Burns the political commentator in “A Parcel o’ Rogues” and “A Man’s a Man for a’ That”; Burns the broken-hearted lover in “Ae Fond Kiss”; Burns the satirical comic in “Holy Wullie”.

He can write as easily and unrepentantly about the sentimental side of life as he can about the bawdy side, the political and the comic, the tragic and the historical. Because of his humble origins he speaks for the common man. Because of his learning and artistry he speaks to the scholar. Because of his experience he speaks for “everyman”.

His work’s range of subject matter, its wide appeal, his talent as an artist and the opportunity, with the popularity of his work, to keep the Scots language alive and in use, mean Burns is as important to Scotland as a nation as he is to Scottish literature. That, in my opinion, is why we still celebrate Burns Night and why we will continue to do so for years to come.

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Text and design copyright circa 2008 Waverley Books. Image and text taken from 'The Broons' Burns Night £4.95 is available or can be ordered from all bookshops, and from the distributor Booksource (0845 370 0063) and www.booksfromscotland.org