Christine De Luca
Encyclopedia
Christine de Luca, née Pearson, is one of the foremost contemporary poets in Scotland
. Her work has appeared in journals worldwide and she has read at many literary festivals, both in the UK and abroad. She grew up in Waas (Walls
) in Shetland, the daughter of the headmaster of Happyhansel School, Sandy Pearson. After studying in Edinburgh
, De Luca worked in education for many years. She now lives in Edinburgh.
In 1996 she won the Shetland Literary Prize with her first poetry collection 'Voes & Sounds'. In 1999 her second collection 'Wast Wi Da Valkyries' also won the Shetland prize. A third collection, 'Plain Song', was launched in Shetland and Edinburgh in 2002. It is accompanied by a CD of the poems read by the author. These three collections were published by The Shetland Library.
The pamphlet, Drops in Time's Ocean, published by Hansel Co-operative Press in 2004, is based on eight generations of De Luca's family, on her father's side which hails from Vidlin
in Lunnasting. The Hansel Cooperative have also produced some of De Luca's stories for children on a CD, along with the work of John Cumming
, Iris Sandison and Jane Moncrieff.
Her most recent collection, 'Parallel Worlds', was published by Luath Press, Edinburgh in 2005. One of the poems in this collection, Makkin Sooth Eshaness, won the Rhoda Butler Prize for Shetland Dialect
, 2004. The Shetland Writing Prize is awarded annually for a particular genre of writing. In 2006 it was awarded for poetry. De Luca's poem 'Seein Baith Sides' won the overall prize and also the prize for best poem in Shetland Dialect.
De Luca's work has been translated into Swedish
, Norwegian
, Danish
, Icelandic
, Finnish
, Estonian
, Latvian
, Polish
, Austrian-German, French
, Italian
, Welsh
and even English
.
A bi-lingual volume of her poetry was published in 2007: Mondes Paralleles: Poemes des Iles Shetland Edition Bilingue. It is a selection from her first four collections and newer work, translated by Jean-Paul Blot and the author. In 2007, this volume won the prize for poetry at the 9th Salon International du Livre Insulaire in Ouessant.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Her work has appeared in journals worldwide and she has read at many literary festivals, both in the UK and abroad. She grew up in Waas (Walls
Walls
- Other uses :*Wall's , a company that makes ice cream*Wall's sausages, a British sausage brand*Walls, an episode of Power Rangers S.P.D.- Music :*Walls EP, a 2005 album by The Red Paintings*Walls , 2007...
) in Shetland, the daughter of the headmaster of Happyhansel School, Sandy Pearson. After studying in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, De Luca worked in education for many years. She now lives in Edinburgh.
In 1996 she won the Shetland Literary Prize with her first poetry collection 'Voes & Sounds'. In 1999 her second collection 'Wast Wi Da Valkyries' also won the Shetland prize. A third collection, 'Plain Song', was launched in Shetland and Edinburgh in 2002. It is accompanied by a CD of the poems read by the author. These three collections were published by The Shetland Library.
The pamphlet, Drops in Time's Ocean, published by Hansel Co-operative Press in 2004, is based on eight generations of De Luca's family, on her father's side which hails from Vidlin
Vidlin
Vidlin , is a small village located in the Shetland Islands of Scotland.It is at the head of Vidlin Voe, is the modern heart of the old parish of Lunnasting, which centred on the early church at Lunna on Lunna Ness....
in Lunnasting. The Hansel Cooperative have also produced some of De Luca's stories for children on a CD, along with the work of John Cumming
John Cumming
John Cumming was a Scottish clergyman.-Life:In 1832, Cumming was appointed to the Crown Court Church in Covent Garden, London, a Church of Scotland congregation that catered for Scots living in London...
, Iris Sandison and Jane Moncrieff.
Her most recent collection, 'Parallel Worlds', was published by Luath Press, Edinburgh in 2005. One of the poems in this collection, Makkin Sooth Eshaness, won the Rhoda Butler Prize for Shetland Dialect
Shetlandic
Shetlandic, usually referred to as Shetland by native speakers, is spoken in the Shetland Islands north of mainland Scotland and is, like Orcadian, a dialect of Insular Scots...
, 2004. The Shetland Writing Prize is awarded annually for a particular genre of writing. In 2006 it was awarded for poetry. De Luca's poem 'Seein Baith Sides' won the overall prize and also the prize for best poem in Shetland Dialect.
De Luca's work has been translated into Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
, Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
, Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, Austrian-German, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and even English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
A bi-lingual volume of her poetry was published in 2007: Mondes Paralleles: Poemes des Iles Shetland Edition Bilingue. It is a selection from her first four collections and newer work, translated by Jean-Paul Blot and the author. In 2007, this volume won the prize for poetry at the 9th Salon International du Livre Insulaire in Ouessant.