Burns Night: stories of adventure and anguish from the Scottish diaspora
For many it was the adventure of a lifetime, for others it was unbearable heartache to leave loved ones behind. For a young Robert Burns in 1786, it was a way out from penury, failure and disgrace. Only the unexpected success of his first published collection, Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, prevented his departure to Jamaica to work as slave master on a sugar plantation. Literary fame ensued and Burns remained in the land of his birth. Since 1800, 4 million Scots have left their country in search of a better life, bound for destinations all over the world. For two decades I have been ...
Source: theconversation.com