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'Worst poet' outsells boy wizard | |
(about 5 hours later) | |
A private collector has paid £6,600 for poems by the man ridiculed as "the world's worst poet". | |
A total of 35 of William McGonagall's works - many of them autographed - have been up for auction in Edinburgh. | |
The ditties by "The Tayside Tragedian" went for more than a collection of Harry Potter first editions signed by author JK Rowling. | |
McGonagall, who died in 1902, was often mocked and had food thrown at him during readings in Dundee. | McGonagall, who died in 1902, was often mocked and had food thrown at him during readings in Dundee. |
He was born in Edinburgh in 1825, but spent much of his life in Dundee as a handloom weaver in the jute mills. | He was born in Edinburgh in 1825, but spent much of his life in Dundee as a handloom weaver in the jute mills. |
He did not start writing poems until he was 47, but went on to write about subjects including Scottish battles and Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. | |
He also took pleasure in writing about death and catastrophe, and his most famous work was a poem about the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879. | He also took pleasure in writing about death and catastrophe, and his most famous work was a poem about the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879. |
A section from it reads: | A section from it reads: |
"So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay, Until it was about midway,Then the central girders with a crash gave way,And down went the train and passengers into the Tay..." | "So the train mov'd slowly along the Bridge of Tay, Until it was about midway,Then the central girders with a crash gave way,And down went the train and passengers into the Tay..." |
Alex Dove, from auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull, said: "He was a confident gentleman who thought that his poetry was some of the best. | |
"He once walked all the way to Balmoral to try to become Poet Laureate. Unfortunately the Queen wasn't in. | |
"He spent a lot of time on the streets of Dundee trying to sell his poems and performing them, much to the amusement of the residents. | |
Because some people take offence with it and ridicule it, they fail to realise what McGonagall is trying to say, which is a narrative of all the events he saw David KettDundee Central Library | |
"Poet-baiting became quite an activity for the students of the time, where they would encourage him to perform, and then they would throw eggs and vegetables at him. | |
The new owner's bid for the poems was £5,500, but once commission is included they will have to fork out £6,600. | |
The Harry Potter books only brought in £6,000. | |
David Kett from the library service in Dundee believes much of the criticism McGonagall receives is unjustified. | |
"He's really popular because he promoted himself to an enormous extent and he produced this interesting and unique verse, which has resonated down the ages," he said. | |
"Because some people take offence with it and ridicule it, they fail to realise what McGonagall is trying to say, which is a narrative of all the events he saw. | |
"It's bad in parts, but there are parts of the poetry where he does achieve a certain extent of lyricism, describing one of the country parks he mentions 'the bees buzzing in the lyme trees' - really conjures up the image." |