Alexander McLachlan (poet)

Alexander McLachlan (1818–1896) was a Scottish born Canadian poet, who was active in the mid nineteenth century and wrote in both Scottish dialect and poetic convention of the homesickness of Scottish immigrants to Canada. Both his contemporary and later critics have called him "the Canadian Robert Burns",[1] an earlier Scottish national poet who also authored Scottish traditional verse. McLachlan's bound verse includes the titles The Spirit of Love (1846), Lyrics (1858), The Emigrant (1861) and Poems and Songs (1871).[2][3][4]

Alexander McLachlan
Born1818 (1818)
Johnstone, Scotland
Died1896 (aged 77–78)
Orangeville, Ontario, Canada
OccupationPoet, Farmer
LanguageEnglish
NationalityCanadian
Notable worksThe Emigrant and Other Poems
Years active1846 - 1874

McLachlan was born in Johnstone, Scotland, to Charles McLachlan and Jean Sutherland. In 1820, his father immigrated to Canada and settled in Caledon Township on 100 acres of land, leaving his family in Scotland. At some point in the 1830s, he died, leaving Alexander his land. McLachlan immigrated in 1840.[5] One year later he married his cousin Clamina, and went on to have eleven children[1]

Works available in classic reprint
  • Alexander McLachlan, Lyrics, Kessinger Publishing, LLC, 2007 ISBN 978-0548623374
  • Alexander McLachlan, The Emigrant and Other Poems, Forgotten Books, 2012 ASIN: B008522B64
  • Alexander McLachlan, Poetical Works [The Poetical Works of Alexander McLachlan (1900)], selected and edited with introd. biographical sketch, notes and glossary, Ulan Press, 2012, ASN: B00AE60W7M

See also

Canadian poetry/long poems/emigrant/"Introduction" in particular

References
  1. "Alexander McLachlan: Our Forgotten Poet". In The Hills. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. Webster's New Biographical Dictionary, Springfield, Merriam Webster, Inc. 1983 p 637 ISBN 0-87779-543-6
  3. Robert Burns and Friends (Essays by W. Ormiston Roy Fellows presented to G. Ross Roy), Patrick Scott & Kenneth Simson, eds., Book Surge Publishing, 2012, ISBN 143927097X, ISBN 978-1439270974, Chapter "Alexander McLachlan: 'The Robert Burns' of Canada", contribution of Edward J. Cowan, pp. 131-149
  4. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
  5. Edwards, Mary Jane (1990). "McLachlan, Alexander". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XII (1891–1900) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.


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