At Least, We'll Miss You When You're Gone

Please read this great article in London's Independent newspaper: "The story of William McGonagall, the worst poet in the history of the English language". It's a gem of underdog history. But the poet has had his revenge, if posthumously. A signed folio of his poems recently sold at auction for £6,600. Not bad for someone who, while he lived, "was a music hall joke--the Mr Bean of the Scottish cultural scene. He was paid five shillings for a public recital so that his mostly working-class audiences could jeer at his bad poetry or pelt him with rotten vegetables."

And a critical refurbishment may be in the offing. McGonagall's biographer takes a very sunny view of his subject's limitations: "'Here, you see, he has the same thoughts as Wordsworth,' said Mr Nasmyth. 'He just doesn't know how to express them well.'"--David E