An Leabhar Mr - The Great Book of Gaelic
by Malcolm Maclean, Theo Dorgan
Category: Poetry

Leabhar Mòr na Gàidhlig/The Great Book of Gaelic brings together more than 150 poets, visual artists, calligraphers and typographers from Ireland and Scotland. New poetry and visual artwork has been commissioned to form the 'Great Book' - a single bound volume, which is a major contemporary artwork in the form of visual anthology. The hardback and paperback editions both feature full-page, full-colour plates of the artwork, the Gaelic poems with selected lines presented as calligraphy, full English translations and information on all the contributors. Creative CollaborationThe 100 Gaelic poems that make up the Leabhar Mor were selected by 30 leading Gaelic poets from both countries who nominated one of their own works plus another 70 from the canon of Gaelic poetry. The selection features work from every century between the 6th and the 21st and includes the earliest Gaelic poetry in existence. Comedy, tragedy, love, death, the spiritual and the bawdy are all represented. The nominating poets include Aonghas MacNeacail, Derick Thomson, Meg Bateman, Nuala Ni Dhomhnall, Michael Davitt and Cathal O Searcaigh.The 100 visual artists - 50 from each country - have been commissioned to respond to the poetry in a variety of media. The artists include Allan Davie, Will Maclean, Frances Walker, Calum Colvin, Anna Macleod, Brian McGuire, Rita Duffy, John Bellany and Alasdair Gray.A small team of calligraphers and typographers have worked in collaboration with the artists and poets to integrate the selected lines of poetry and the artists' images.EducationThe Leabhar Mòr will also be realised in the form of a website, an audio CD a series of radio programmes and a film documentary. Copies of the book will be gifted to every Gaelic-medium school in Scotland and Ireland. An education pack for schools explores issues of geography, history, language, arts and culture