Kathleen Jamie is about to stand down as Makar, our poet laureate. She talks to our Writer at Large about identity politics, the Yes movement, climate change and hating interviews In an age of immediate answers, when everyone has an opinion before they have even heard the question, Kathleen Jamie is unique. She is like the last of a lost species, a survivor from a past time when people thought slowly so they’d come to the right conclusion– not the easy one.
Indeed, the demands of this interview literally pained her. When I emailed Jamie, after we spoke, she said the experience of being asked to respond so quickly to complex questions left her feeling “really bruised – out of my depth, muddled and floundering. That’s why I am a writer – it gives me time to think and rewrite, advance and retreat”.
That trait undoubtedly makes her such a great Makar. Jamie has been Scotland’s national poet since 2021. She’s about to stand down from the role.
Her departure – and the release of her intimately beautiful new book Cairn – is the reason we’re talking. Jamie’s publicist asked for this interview to take place. Yet, for the first time, I felt guilty during an interview.
It’s not that I pressed Jamie the way I might a politician. We’re on friendly terms – I hope. There were moments of laughter during our discussion.
However, as we talked, I realised that for a woman of such intellect, for a writer who cherishes nuance, the demands of the media are such a cu.
