Walter McCorrisken
Walter McCorrisken | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 May 1926 |
| Died | 29 January 2004 (aged 77) |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Poetry |
Walter McCorrisken (28 May 1926 – 28 January 2004) was a Scottish writer, self-styled as the world's worst poet.[1]
Writing career[edit]
In the mid 1970s, McCorrisken entered a bad poetry competition organized by The Herald Diary in Glasgow. The competition ran for a month and attracted over 1000 entries from across Scotland. However, 259 of the entries were submitted by McCorrisken. He won the competition and claimed the title of Scotland's worst poet.[1]
McCorrisken's career as a writer extended over three decades while he continued with his day job at Glasgow Airport. He appeared on radio and television and was interviewed by Michael Parkinson and Michael Barrymore.[2]
The style of McCorrisken's writing is described as gentle, self-effacing and parochial humour.[3]
A documentary film about McCorrisken, The Renfrew Rhymer, was made by filmmaker Paul Russell with the assistance of McCorrisken's son Richard. It premiered in June 2020.[4]
Works[edit]
- Come back again, hen: a Silver Jubilee poem (1977)
- Cream of the dross (1979)
- Cream of the crackers (1980)
- Cream of the corn (1981)
- Cream of the crop (1982)
- More Punishing Poems from Walter McCorrisken – Scotland's Worst Poet (1984)
- Porridge in my pibroch (1994) audiobook
- Tadpoles in tenements : trials of a taxidermist (1997)
- A Wee Dribble of Dross (1998)
- Hairy Knees and Heather Hills (1998)
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Walter McCorrisken Self-styled world's worst poet". The Herald Scotland. 5 February 2004. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Lennon, Hollly (2 June 2020). "Documentary film made about 'world's worst poet' Walter McCorrisken from Renfrew". GlasgowLive. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Carrick, Heather (2 June 2020). "'World's worst poet' features in new documentary film". Glasgow Times. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Brenan, Victoria (2 June 2020). "Small screen glory for Scotland's 'worst' poet". The Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
External links[edit]
- Interview with Michael Parkinson, 1979 (video)
- Walter McCorrisken: The Greatest 'World's Worst Poet', 1995 (video)
- The Renfrew Rhymer: Walter McCorrisken, 2020 (video)
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