All About Scotland

An accomplished poet, songwriter, and collector of traditional Scots songs, his work became popular with the literary elite in Edinburgh in spite of its often-satirical attacks on the establishment. After a failed return to his farming roots, he later became an exciseman in Dumfries where he died at the tragically young age of 37. Although Scotland's national bard, Burns' poetry conveys so much of what lies at the root of the human condition that inevitably, his reputation has become truly international and 'Burns Nights' are celebrated in all corners of the globe each January.

Find out all about Scotland's national poet on the dedicated Burns website.