Edwin Morgan (poet)
A restless Scottish poet who captured Glasgow's grit and grace, reinventing verse forms to mirror a changing world.
1920–2010 (age 90)·Scottish poet and essayist·Birthday: April 27·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Edwin Morgan spent most of his life in Glasgow, a city that became the electric heart of his poetry. After serving in World War II, he taught at the University of Glasgow, but his true work happened at his desk, where he produced a staggering range of work. He was a formal innovator, writing concrete poems, science fiction sonnets, and tender love lyrics, often with a playful, humane wit. His later appointment as Scotland's first national poet, or Makar, was a public recognition of a voice that had long spoken for and to the people, chronicling urban life, political change, and queer identity with fearless curiosity. Morgan's legacy is a body of work that refuses to sit still, as vibrant and unexpected as the city he called home.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Edwin was born in 1920, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Edwin Was Born
The biggest hits of 1920
#1 Movie
Way Down East
Edwin's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1920Born
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1925Started school
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1933Became a teenager
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1936Could drive
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1938Could vote
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Turned 21
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1950Turned 30
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1960Turned 40
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 50
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 60
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 70
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 80
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Died at 90
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Appointed the first Makar, or National Poet for Scotland, in 2004.
- Served as the inaugural Glasgow Poet Laureate from 1999.
- Published over thirty collections of poetry and translation, including the seminal 'The Second Life' in 1968.
- Awarded the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2000.
Did You Know?
He was a conscientious objector during World War II but later served in the Royal Army Medical Corps.
Morgan was a prolific translator of poetry from languages including Russian, Hungarian, and Italian.
He left his entire estate, valued at over £1 million, to fund a creative writing prize for young Scots.
A major collection of his manuscripts and papers is held at the University of Glasgow.
“I want the poem to be a window, a door, a mirror, a key.”
