Our thanks to David
Purves for creating this section of the site dedicated to the Scots
Language.
David
Purves was born
in Selkirk, Scotland. Educated at Galashiels Academy and Edinburgh
University. Agricultural biochemist and environmentalist with research
record involving publication of numerous scientific papers on
trace-element problems of plant and animal nutrition. FAO consultant
for international standards for additions to land used for food
production, of potentially toxic elements in sewage sludge, 1980-82.
Author of monograph entitled Trace-Element Contamination of the
Environment, Elsevier, 1985. Parliamentary candidate, Roxburgh, Selkirk
and Peebles, 1974.
Special interest in problems of Scots orthography. Author of paper
entitled, A Scots Orthography, in The Scottish Literary Journal,
Supplement No.9, Spring 1979. Articles on the Scots Language published
in The Herald and The Scotsman. Many poems in Scots published in
magazines and journals, including The Herald, The Scotsman, AKROS,
CENCRASTUS, CHAPMAN, LALLANS, LINES REVIEW, NORTHWORDS, RADICAL
SCOTLAND, SCOTTISH LITERARY JOURNAL. Poetry collections: Thrawart
Threipins, Aquila, Skye, 1976 and Herts Bluid, CHAPMAN, Edinburgh,
1995. Also adaptations in Scots of 150 ancient Chinese poems, haiku,
traditional fairy tales in Scots and plays in Scots based on folk-tale
themes.
Three plays, The Puddok an the Princess, The Knicht o the Riddils and
Whuppitie Stourie, have been professionally produced. The Puddok an the
Princess won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh International
Festival in 1985 and ran to eight professional productions (including
two tours of Scotland by Theatre Alba). This play was published by
Brown, Son & Ferguson, Glasgow, in 1992, and produced by the Byre
Theatre, St Andrews in June 1996. Other plays based on folk-tale themes
are, The Ill Guidmither, and Pompitie Finnds a Needle. A translation
and adaptation of Shakepeare’s Macbeth into Scots, was also published
in 1992 (Rob Roy Press, Edinburgh) and this has now been professionally
produced by Theatre Alba (2002). The Thrie Sisters, a rendering of
Chekhov’s play in Scots, was also produced by Theatre Alba (1999).
Author of A Scots Grammar – Scots that Haes, Saltire Society, Edinburgh,
1997, (Revised and extended edition, 2002). Past Preses of The Scots
Language Society, and formerly editor of LALLANS (nine years), the
only journal published wholly in Scots. Co-editor of Mak it New, An
Anthology of Twenty-one Years of Writing in LALLANS, Mercat Press,
Edinburgh, 1995. Honorary Vice-Preses of the Scots Language Society.
Material in this section
is the copyright of David Purves but you can
email him here
if you'd like to use any of his material.
