In partnership with Scottish Universities’ International Summer School, with additional support from SUISS’s affiliated universities, we’re delighted to announce the recipients of the 2023 Edwin Morgan Scholarships. The scholarships, which cover course and accommodation fees for students to attend the two-week Scottish Literature course at SUISS this August, have been awarded to early-career academics from the UK and abroad who do not have Scottish Literature courses at their home universities but who have demonstrated a committed interest in the subject. The Scholars will participate in a wide-ranging academic and cultural programme and have the chance to engage face-to-face with locally based writers.
The 2023 Edwin Morgan Scholars are:
- Laura Aldeguer Pardo, University of Oviedo. Laura’s BA thesis focused on “Strange(r)ness in Jackie Kay’s Trumpet” and her MA thesis looked at post-referendum narratives in the work of Ali Smith. She has recently begun a PhD on gender and diversity in Contemporary Scottish Literature.
- Marthe-Siobhán Hecke, University of Bonn. Marthe-Siobhán’s PhD thesis is on Nan Shepherd and the Scottish Literary Renaissance. She is currently establishing a Scottish Studies course at her home institution and is a Scottish Gaelic learner of eight years.
- Daisy Li, Macau Polytechnic University. Daisy is a Professor of Translation Studies and has recently received funding from her university to investigate Chinese translations of Edwin Morgan, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Hugh MacDiarmid and Nan Shepherd. Daisy has produced three papers on Hugh MacDiarmid: the first one is on the translation and reception of MacDiarmid’s poetry, the second one on the representations of China in his poetry and the third one (in Portuguese) on his social network .
Laura Aldeguer Pardo, University of Oviedo
“The opportunity to attend SUISS could not have come at a better time, as I find myself at the start of my PhD journey, when an experience such as this one has the potential to impact the development of my research. I was particularly drawn to the course of Scottish Literature since my knowledge on Scotland, its history, literature and culture, comes from the very few lectures offered by my home university as well as from previous research I carried out for my undergraduate and master’s thesis on the works of Jackie Kay and Ali Smith. It is for that very reason that I cannot wait to engage with the seminal texts that make up this course’s reading list. On top of that, having never been to Edinburgh, I am eager to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience with like-minded people and to explore the city through a literary lens thanks to the activities the school offers.”
Marthe-Siobhán Hecke, University of Bonn
“Really starting with my PhD just before the first lockdown has shown me how much meeting like-minded researchers and exchanging ideas is vital for my own research progress. SUISS therefore sounded perfect to meet fellow PhDs and researchers in one of my favourite places: Edinburgh. I am very much looking forward to the reading list, the intellectual exchange, the other planned acitivies and also researching Nan Shepherd a bit more in Edinburgh. I am beyond thankful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which will hopefully fuel me enough to finish the first draft of my dissertation. Without the incredible Edwin Morgan Scholarship, I would not be able to attend at all and I endeavour to make the most of my time in Edinburgh and at the Summer School! Bidh sin uabhasach math agus tha mi glè glè thoilichte!”
Daisy Li, Macau Polytechnic University
“I became interested in Edwin Morgan’s poetry, and Scottish literature more broadly, when I was invited to translate into Chinese James McGonigal’s ASL Scotnote on Morgan’s poetry, and Sarah Dunnigan’s on the Scottish ballads. The translations were published by Nanjing University Press in 2020. I was impressed particularly by the versatility and humanity of Morgan’s verse – the formal experiments but also the poetry of love and social concern. I am now leading a research project in Macao Polytechnic University about Scottish literature in Chinese translation. I applied for SUISS to help fill in the many gaps in my knowledge, particularly about contemporary Scottish writing – I’ve been devouring the course reading list! And, of course, I have developed a longing actually to visit the locations described in the work I’ve been reading. I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to realise my dream of travelling to Scotland to develop my understanding of its literatures and cultures.”
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