Sorley MacLean may be the greatest twentieth-century poet you've never heard of. Unless, of course, you have heard of him- in which case you already know what I'm talking about.

To assess the magnitude of MacLean's poetic talent, just consider the context in which he wrote. There are only about 60,000 Scottish Gaelic speakers in the entire world, so MacLean's entire audience in his native language was about the population of a large town at most. Despite this fact, he succeeded in making his mark on the international literary world through the medium of translation.

MacLean wrote within a very ancient tradition- that of the Gaelic or Celtic bard, which was already a venerable institution by the time the Romans took note of it. However, he didn't confine himself to the boundaries of that tradition, but rather used it as a stepping stone, writing on topics such as lost love, the Spanish Civil War and leftist politics. His politics were informed by his family background as the descendent of Highland crofters who fought against the oppression of their landlords. MacLean always regretted not traveling to Spain to fight the fascists, but he was wounded three times fighting the Nazis in North Africa.

What stands out about MacLean's work is the vibrancy of his imagery, which can be so vivid sometimes that I almost feel like I can taste his poetry. You can read his poetry in “Nua Bhardachd Ghaidhlig” or “New Gaelic Poetry,” which contains both the Gaelic originals and the author's own translations.