Billy Kay (writer)

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Billy Kay
Born1951
NationalityScottish
Alma mater University of Edinburgh
Occupation(s)Writer, broadcaster and language activist
Notable workScots: The Mither Tongue
Awards Mark Twain Award (2019); Scots Media Person of the Year (2019)

Billy Kay (born 1951) is a Scottish writer, broadcaster and language activist. [1] He developed an early interest in language, studying English, French, German and Russian at Kilmarnock Academy and English literature at the University of Edinburgh. [2]

Contents

His study of the history and status of the Scots language, Scots: The Mither Tongue, his most notable work, was later adapted for a television series, [3] and an audiobook, recorded after setting up a home studio during the COVID-19 lockdown. Kay thought that many people would not have heard 'how the language sounds' in major Scots literature such as Barbour's Brus, R.L. Stevenson's Thrawn Janet , works by MacDiarmid and Burns or the Border Ballads covered in his book: a sound version, he said, would 'fill a big gap' in people's 'knowledge and appreciation of a great tradition'. [4]

Odyssey

Kay's popular radio series, Odyssey, broadcast by BBC Radio Scotland in 1979, was a ground-breaking work of oral history which captured the diverse experiences of men and women across Scotland, including migrants from Donegal, Kintyre fishermen, Lithuanians in Lanarkshire, Dundee jute workers, Shetland whalers, Tiree emigrants to Canada, and servicemen seeking to exercise their land rights on returning to Knoydart after the Second World War. The following year, Odyssey: Voices from Scotland’s Recent Past, a collection of material drawn from the first series, was published by Polygon Books. [5]

Despite the success of the first Odyssey radio series, no money was forthcoming to make any further programmes. Stewart Conn, BBC Scotland's Head of Drama, stepped in, attaching Kay to the drama department to ensure that the project survived. Three radio series of Odyssey were broadcast and a series was commissioned for television. [6] Odyssey: Voices from Scotland's Recent Past: The Second Collection, based on material from the later series, was published by Polygon in 1982. [2]

Kay drew on material on Dundee's female jute workers collected for the Odyssey series in writing Jute!, which was broadcast as a dramatised documentary directed by Marylin Ireland. [2]

Knee Deep in Claret

Knee Deep in Claret: A Celebration of Wine and Scotland, a collaboration with Cailean Maclean published by Mainstream in 1984, used the theme of Scotland's relationship with wine to explore aspects of Scottish culture from the 13th to the 20th centuries. A television programme based on the book was broadcast in the same year. [2]

Bibliography

Prizes and awards

Further reading

See also

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References

  1. Devine, Thomas Martin; Logue, Paddy (18 November 2002). Being Scottish: Personal Reflections on Scottish Identity Today. Polygon. ISBN   9781902930367 via Google Books.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Graham R., "Billy Kay", in Parker, Geoff (ed.), Cencrastus No. 20, Spring 1985, pp. 2 - 7, ISSN   0264-0856
  3. Hearn, Jonathan (18 November 2000). Claiming Scotland: National Identity and Liberal Culture. Polygon at Edinburgh. ISBN   9781902930169 via Google Books.
  4. Hannan, Martin (20 November 2021). "Scots author Billy Kay releases Scots: The Mither Tongue as audiobook". The National. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  5. Kay, B. (1980), Odyssey: Voices from Recent Scotland’s Past, Polygon Books, Edinburgh, ISBN   9780904919479
  6. Lockerbie, Catherine, "Making Waves: Radio in Scotland", in Parker, Geoff (ed.), Cencrastus 20, Spring 1985, pp. 8 - 11, ISSN   0264-0856
  7. Alexander, Michael (30 October 2019). "Newport's Billy Kay 'honoured' to receive prestigious Scottish-American cultural award in New York". The Courier. DC Thomson Media. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  8. Ferguson, Brian (29 September 2019). "Winners of first ever Scots language 'Oscars' revealed". The Scotsman. JPI Media. Retrieved 27 October 2020.

Further reading