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Sydney Goodsir Smith




He was born in Wellington , New Zealand , and moved to Edinburgh with his family in 1928 . He was at school at Malvern College . He went to Edinburgh University to study medicine, but abandoned that, and started to read history at Oriel College, Oxford ; whence he was expelled, but managed to complete a degree.

His first poetry collection of many, ''Skail Wind'', was published in 1941 . ''Carotid Cornucopius'' (1947) was a comic novel about Edinburgh. His play ''The Wallace'' formed part of the 1960 Edinburgh Festival .

''Under the Eildon tree'' (1948), a long poem in 24 parts, is considered by many his finest work; ''The Grace of God and the Meth-Drinker'' is a much-anthologised poem. ''Kynd Kittock's land'' (1964) was a commission of a poem to be televised by the BBC .

He died in Edinburgh. He is now commemorated in The Makars' Court there.