Rather than emphasizing William Soutars role as a major protagonist of the Scottish Renaissance a role which has gained greater recognition in recent years the author in this study of William Soutars life and work has chosen to listen to the voice of a great visionary searching for meaning and wholeness in a disunited and unstable world. Taking Soutars philosophy of the Righteousness of Life as a starting point she traces his reflections on creative writing death religion pacifism and other related spheres and establishes fully for the first time the width of this Scottish writers philosophic range. By drawing upon the treasure of Soutars private papers she reveals a facet of his work which glows with the intense presence of his observations on concerns that are still fundamental for our understanding of modern society and politics.