The Cunninghame Graham Society

RBCG’s life spanned a period of immense change – from the Victorian Empire to the rise of modernist literature and the Scottish Renaissance. He lived and wrote at the crossroads of cultures, continents, and political movements. His literary work, produced mainly in the second half of his life, was deeply shaped by the astonishing experiences of his earlier years.

​Born in London but raised at Gartmore, he grew up in a bilingual world, speaking both English and Scots. His early surroundings shaped his sensitivity to language and identity, themes that would recur throughout his work. His travels, through South America, Nova Scotia, the Basque Country, Iceland, West Africa, Texas, Mexico, Spain, and Morocco furnished him with a global outlook and an unusually cosmopolitan perspective for a Scottish writer of his time. ​Entering politics in his mid-thirties, he brought a vision that was both Scottish and international. He spoke out against imperialism, advocated for Native American rights, and criticised social injustices across the globe. His politics were not theoretical but lived: he stood alongside the oppressed, spoke passionately in Parliament, and endured imprisonment for his convictions. ​​

From his forties onward, RBCG began publishing prolifically. Between 1895 and 1936 he produced more than 25 books (see below) – a body of work that defies easy categorisation. He wrote travel narratives, historical studies, short stories, essays, and biographies. ​His first book, Notes on the District of Menteith (1895), explored the landscape, history, and language of the area around his childhood home. It set a tone of curiosity, local knowledge, and layered cultural awareness. Soon after, he co-authored Father Archangel of Scotland (1896) with his wife Gabriela, a writer and intellectual in her own right. His travelogue Mogreb-El-Acksa (1898) recounted his journey through Morocco with keen observation, understated humour, and a willingness to place himself at risk. His early short story collections, The Ipané (1899) and Thirteen Stories (1900), demonstrated his extraordinary range. He wrote vividly about South American frontiers, Scottish villages, and encounters between cultures, often with a sharp moral edge.

​

RBCG’s stories are often morally complex and socially aware. In “Un Pelado,” he depicts the execution of a Mexican man in a small Texan town, showing both the cruelty and fragility of life. In “Niggers,” he deliberately provokes readers with the title before overturning expectations to deliver a fierce critique of racism and the idea of “otherness.” These are stories of encounter — between cultures, classes, races, and historical forces — told with irony, empathy, and intelligence.  His style mixes documentary realism with a reflective, sometimes melancholic tone. He often employed humour, but it was usually laced with irony or used to expose hypocrisy. His deep humanism is evident even in his critiques of empire and society; he understood human motivations in all their complexity.

In the early 1900s, RBCG turned increasingly to history and biography, writing imaginative accounts of explorers, conquistadors, and rebels. Works like A Vanished Arcadia (1901), Hernando de Soto (1903), and The Conquest of the River Plate (1924) examined the Spanish conquest of South America. ​Unlike conventional historians, RBCG was as interested in character and moral ambiguity as in facts. He admired the daring of conquistadors while condemning their greed and cruelty. His portraits of figures like Hernando de Soto and Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada are nuanced: he explores their ambitions, flaws, and the consequences of their actions. His fascination with these figures also reflects his lifelong interest in risk, courage, and the testing of human limits.

Throughout the early 20th century, he continued to publish collections of sketches and stories. Volumes like Progress (1905), Faith (1909), Hope (1910), and Charity (1912) mix portraits of people, evocations of places, and reflections on social change. ​These works often carry a tone of gentle melancholy — a recognition of changing times, fading traditions, and lost possibilities. Yet they are far from nostalgic. Graham balanced sadness with sharp humour, social critique, and a keen awareness of global realities. He also wrote perceptively about women, often sympathetically depicting their lives under restrictive social systems. His essays show a proto-feminist understanding unusual for his time.

​

In his later years, as a leading figure in the Scottish independence movement, he saw independence and internationalism as connected, believing that cultural identity and political freedom are intertwined. Even in his seventies, he continued writing. His final collection, Mirages (1936), looks back over his life with humour, irony, and emotional depth. The last story, “Facón Grande,” is a poignant farewell to the gauchos and landscapes of his youth, blending nostalgia with the acceptance of time’s passage.

RBCG's unique legacy is writing that stands at the intersection of cultures, politics, and history. He was a global Scot: a man who moved easily between continents, languages, and causes. His works combine adventure, moral seriousness, sharp observation, and literary skill. He understood that culture and politics are inseparable, and he lived a life that reflected this truth. Today, his writings offer not only gripping stories and historical insights but also a window into a mind that refused to be confined by borders — national, cultural, or intellectual.

​

Read the full paper by Professor Alan Riach, of which this is a summary, here.