'Remarkable partnership' of Hugh MacDiarmid and wife explored in Shetland exhibition

Featuring photographs, letters sent between the couple, original manuscripts and knitting patterns used by Valda Grieve, the exhibition, Outwith: Valda, MacDiarmid and Whalsay at the Shetland Museum and Archive, explores how the island of Whalsay influenced their lives and work despite persistent challenges.

MacDiarmid, also known as Christopher Grieve, spent nine highly creative years on the island between 1933 and 1942, writing half of his life’s work. Drawing on Whalsay’s landscape and people, the experience profoundly influenced his engagement with Scottish identity, language and politics.

However, it was his wife’s strength, resilience and independence that were central to their survival. By immersing herself in the island community and forging relationships, she helped sustain their daily life in the face of poverty, ill health and isolation. Her creativity and strong will shaped both their shared experience and Hugh MacDiarmid’s writing.

The exhibition will feature original manuscripts of ‘Shag’s Nest’ and ‘In Dury Voe’ from the National Library’s collections, poems that were written during MacDiarmid’s Whalsay years.

Visitors will also be able to see personal letters sent between MacDiarmid and Grieve in this period. Meanwhile, other key items in the exhibition include photographs from the Grieves Estate, and loans from Whalsay Heritage Centre including Valda’s knitting pattern books. There will also be visual art from portrait artist Alexander Moffat and landscape artist Ruth Nicol.

Alison Stevenson, director of collections, access and research at NLS, said: “We’re delighted to send these precious and personal papers from our shelves in Edinburgh to the museum in Shetland, and to collaborate with Shetland Museum and Archives to create an exhibition and events programme that will bring the past to life for residents of and visitors to Lerwick.

“These manuscripts and letters will help visitors step into the lives of this couple and discover how the island community and rugged tranquillity of Shetland shaped both their personal lives and creative legacies. We’re particularly excited by the renewed focus on Valda, whose memory is still kept alive by people in Whalsay today, and who leaves a fascinating legacy that we’re still learning more about.”

Tracey Hawkins, collections manager at Shetland Museum and Archives said: “We are proud to present this special exhibition, which reveals how profoundly the island of Whalsay and its community shaped Hugh MacDiarmid’s work and the creative partnership he shared with Valda.

“Her story is integral to the exhibition, deepening our understanding of their relationship and its influence on his writing. It is a rare privilege to share these original letters and manuscripts in Shetland, alongside photographs and artefacts, offering fresh insight into a remarkable partnership and its enduring legacy."

Culture secretary Angus Robertson said: “The National Library of Scotland has been and continues to be, a cornerstone of our nation’s cultural life, preserving, protecting and sharing Scotland’s remarkable and complex history.

“It is valuable that, as part of National Library’s centenary celebrations these treasures are shared with Shetland Museum and Archives, enabling people to get close to these exhibits and explore the stories. This demonstrates the important work of the National Library to create freely accessible and available spaces, which enables communities to connect with Scotland’s past and present.”

The exhibition is part of the National Library’s national outreach programme OUTWITH: National Library around Scotland, which has been marking the library’s centenary around the country.