Robert Burns

Robert Burns (1759-1796) rose to immediate success as a poet after his very first volume of verse was published in 1786. The son of a struggling tenant farmer in Ayrshire, he was fired by the ambition to preserve Scotland's national identity and language through the medium of his poetry. Burns' popularity with his fellow-countrymen soon earned him the title of Scotland's national poet, a position he has
retained for over two centuries. His contribution to English literature as a whole is today widely acknowledged and the name Robert Burns is celebrated worldwide.