Playing Games of Sense in Edwin Morgan’s Writing

Monika Kocot’s book on Edwin Morgan’s literary achievement, both poetry and drama, foregrounds the themes of cultural transgression, dialogism of the author’s creative design, and various, potentially subversive games of sense creation: «verbivocovisual» constellations, mythopoetic «writings-through,» and intersemiotic translations.

Monika Kocot, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of British Literature and Culture at the University of Lodz, Poland. Her main academic interests are: contemporary British and Polish poetry, literary criticism and translation. She is a member of the Association for Cultural Studies, and The Association for Scottish Literary Studies.

«Edwin Morgan’s unparalleled poetic inventiveness finds its equivalent in Monika Kocot’s similarly inventive critical and analytical work, which makes this book such a pleasure to read. Her interpretations of Morgan’s poetry are always sharp-eyed, precise and highly sovereign. Kocot may use her knowledge of contemporary theory very generously, but poetry is always at the centre of her critical attention. I can only welcome this eloquent study of one of Scotland’s greatest poets coming from one of the most gifted young Polish scholars.» (Jerzy Jarniewicz, University of Lodz) «Monika Kocot’s wonderful study of Edwin Morgan’s work is timely and most welcome, coming just a few years after the poet’s death. Impressive in its scholarship, it succeeds in getting to the heart of Morgan’s work, its irrepressible spirit, its sense of play. It casts light on Morgan the mercurial, the trickster, the antisage, endlessly inventive, pushing linguistic boundaries, yet humane, accessible. It’s good too to see Morgan’s plays given their due alongside the poetry. Like their subject matter, the author carries her scholarship lightly and writes with a discerning eye and ear. I think Morgan himself would be delighted by this study, and I can think of no higher praise than that. Message Clear.» (Alan Spence, Professor Emeritus, University of Aberdeen)

Contents: Edwin Morgan – Literary traditions – Textuality – Constructivism – Deconstruction – Trickster – Mythopoeia – Postmodernism – Scotland – Scottish Literature.