Kenneth Buthlay's edition of "A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle" is widely considered to be the best edition of all and provides extensive commentary and notes, taking the reader through MacDiarmid's complex and often opaque use of language. The drunk man lies on a moonlit hillside looking at a thistle, jaggy and beautiful, which epitomises Scotland's divided self. The man reflects on the fate of the nation, the human condition in general and his own personal fears.
- ISBN13 9780707305417
- Publish Date 1 January 2001 (first published 1 October 1971)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 18 February 2003
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Association for Scottish Literary Studies
- Edition Annotated edition
- Format Paperback (UK Trade)
- Pages 258
- Language English