The Gaelic poet Derick Thomson alludes to the Scottish Gaelic language in his poem, 'An Tobair': 'chunnaic mi lainnir a' bhuirn ud/ a ni slan gach ciurradh/ gu ruig ciurradh cridhe (I saw the sparkle of that spring/ that makes whole every hurt/ til the hurt of the heart). The image of the well is a powerful and fitting symbol in relation to the current position of Scottish Gaelic language and culture and its future potential, and the essays in this volume show the depth and richness of Gaelic literature in the 20th century onwards. Covering topics as diverse as literary theory, translation and publishing, as well as dealing with the work of specific poets and writers, this collection highlights many of the themes of Gaelic literature in the 20th century and begins to explore the direction it is taking in the 21st century.

This book, edited by Dr Emma Dymock and Dr Wilson McLeod, originates in a conference held in the department of Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh in April 2009 on the subject of Gaelic literature in the 20th and 21st centuries. Half the essays in the volume were originally presented at that conference, and the other half were invited from other leading scholars in the field.