Dear sirs,I've been enjoying your series on the romantic poets and was looking forward to the appropriately timed Robert Burns collection inside 25th January's paper.However, I was skunnert (pardon my Scots) to find that you were more concerned on this day, and night, of all nights to publish an address to Scottish dental care (Address to the Toothache) than to the "great chieftain o' the puddin-race" (Address to a Haggis). Surely the poem that is most recited of Rabbie Burns' at this time of year should have been included so our Sassenach friends could join with us in Scotland in the spirit of today?Slainte mhath.Stephen Glenn
While it wasn't used for publication I did this morning get the following response from Nicholas Wroe of Guardian Review.
Dear Mr Glenn,
Many thanks for your letter which has been passed on to me.
We did have a debate about including To A Haggis, but in the light of Don Paterson's views expressed in his intro, we eventually decided against. But at least it allowed for slightly lesser known - but equally terrific - poems to get get in.
So glad you're enjoying the series. Coleridge is a real cracker of a pamphlet today. Hope you had a good night on Monday.
Best wishes, Nick
Of course it was after I'd written my letter, indeed not until I'd got home that I could actually settle down to read Don Paterson's introduction and remarks about the poem of the day (I will add them later as the pamphlet is at home). But in response to Nick I did have a very good night on Monday, not just enjoying my own haggis, neeps and tatties but reading about many of my friends all over the place (not just Scotland, nor indeed Scottish) enjoying themselves too.
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