Portrait of Robert Burns from the Library of Congress, reproduced under CC Licence from Flickr

… Tam O’Shanter. Or at least, it is according to a recent YouGov survey!

 

Over a thousand Scots were asked to select their favourite poem for Burns Night, and Tam O’Shanter came first, collecting almost a quarter of the total vote,  followed by A Man’s A Man for A’ That and Address to a Haggis.

 

Burns was born on the 25th January 1759, and the occasion has been marked on that day since the 19th century by Burns Night, which is celebrated through traditional ‘Burns Suppers’  in honour of the Scottish Bard, whose life and work occupies a special place in the hearts of Scots around the globe.

 

We have a multitude of books by and about Burns in our collection in the Library, plus you can find full-text copies of his work (including the winning poems in the survey) via LION (Literature Online).