Robert Burns was not only an important literary figure in Great Britain but his work has influenced many of today's great international artists and authors from David Bowie to Bob Dylan, and Maya Angelou to Arthur Miller. Below are only a few of the books by and about some of our biggest cultural influencers, who credit Robert Burns as their main inspiration.
The Cambridge companion to Bob Dylan by Kevin Dettmar
Interested to find out more about the connection between Bob Dylan and Robert Burns? The Cambridge Companion to Bob Dylan includes anecdotes and quotes from the artist regarding his literary muse and the inspiration he found in Burns poetry.
The Complete Collected Poems Of Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou has repeatedly credited Robert Burns in TV interviews, live readings and discussions as one of her strongest literary influences. Readers will may not initially see the connection to Burns work from Angelou's voice but the choice to describe hardship, longing and societal inequality is most definitely a characteristic that Angelou found comfort in initially discovering, when reading Burns.
David Bowie’s urban landscapes and nightscapes: A reading of the Bowiean text by Jean du Verger
Yes, that's right....David Bowie. During his lifetime and in multiple later year interviews, David Bowie linked his Scottish Heritage to his love of Robert Burns poetry. Themes of longing, alienation, identity and searching for deeper meaning in troubled times are all themes that can be found in the works of both Bowie and Burns. To hear more about David Bowie's artistic choices and interest in urban society, we recommend this as a fun light read for a study break.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The title of this classic actually takes it's title from our anti-hero, Holden Caufield's precocious half baked misinterpretation of Burns' poem "Comin' Thro' the Rye." Salinger very cleverly wove the entire book around the duplicitous nature of life, applying the significantly innocent child's misinterpretation of a romantic poem concerning a secretive rendezvous for adult sexual activities to share his main character's phobia of maturing into a false and phony adult with all of it's seedily intertwined sordid sexuality. Holden yearned to save the innocence and a-sexuality of childhood.
Salinger counted not only Burns as an influence but also John Steinbeck, who (below) was also tremendously influenced by Robert Burns works.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
Although "Of Mice and Men" was titled and credited by John Steinbeck to be derived from Burns famous poem, "To a Mouse", "Cannery Row" and all of Steinbeck's work trace back to the voice of his literary paragon, Robert Burns. Burns may have never stepped foot in San Francisco, but he did lead Steinbeck to his recurring themes of futility in modern society and the disruption of the harmony of nature in a cold, class-compartmentalized world. Burns and Steinbeck both shared a passionate main thematic interest in the protection and advocacy of the common man. Although "Cannery Row" is not as popular as "Of Mice and Men", readers will appreciate the rarity of this 1945 novel in it's reflection of the realities of cultural, ethnic and religious diversity surviving under class exclusion in modern America.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
When Arthur Miller's play, "Death of a Salesman" first premiered in 1949, Miller credited Robert Burns with much of his influence to both his writing style and the patterns and themes he chose to pursue. In fact, he chose the title "the Crucible" as it was also the moniker used for Robert Burns place of birth. Burns fans will easily spot these same themes running deep past the obvious parallels of what Miller experienced during anti-communist witch hunting, his voice still calls out for salvation of the everyman from the brutality of an all judgemental society... not that different from Burns works, which mirrored these same issues over a century before.
The Poems of Emily Brontë
Robert Burns died 20 years before Emily Bronte was born but his literary legacy was cast so deeply in Victorian Britain, that it would be hard for any writer to find their voice without studying or hearing his works. The Gondal Poems and Wuthering Heights both relish in the flavours of Robert Burns lyrical ballads and folkloric fury. For Burns fans, the poems of Emily Bronte may be held as sacred as his own work in their themes of nature, passion and criticism of Victorian societal norms.
Curious to hear what works influenced Robert Burns? You can read some of the works, he chose first hand in our edition below:
The merry muses : a choice collection of favourite songs gathered from many sources by Robert Burns
Poetry lovers and Burns buffs can enjoy this large collection of Scottish songs and poetry hand chosen as his favourite and accompanied by two of his letters and a poem. Happy Burns Night to all our students!
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