Còmhraidhean nan Cnoc

Scottish Gaelic Texts Society, 2016. 432 pages. Hardback.

The Nineteenth-Century Prose Dialogue

This volume is a study of the còmhradh, or dialogue, which was a highly distinctive feature of the Gaelic literary landsape in the nineteenth century. Over 300 còmhraidhean appeared in print over the course of the century, mainly in  Scotland but also in Gaelic periodicals in Canada and Australia.

Commonly associated with the Rev. Dr Norman MacLeod / Caraid nan Gàidheal (1783-1862) and his journals of the 1830s and 1840s, the genre was one which was revived in the Gaelic columns of newspapers during the 1870s and 1880s, and became the principal Gaelic prose genre for discussing land issues and politics during the turbulent Land Agitation years.

The volume includes thirty-five edited còmhraidhean with accompanying notes, an extensive critical introduction, and a glossary to support readers in their understanding of these lexically, and idiomatically, rich texts. The subject matter ranges from the Gaelic language, education, and emigration to church politics, land agitation, and technological innovation.</