Product Description

George's memory is inseparable from Orkney, where he was born the youngest child of a poor family and which he rarely left. His mother was a beautiful woman who spoke only Gaelic and his father was a wit, mimic and singer, who also doubled as postman and tailor. Tuberculosis framed George's early life and kept him in a kind of limbo. He discovered alcohol which gave him insights into the workings of the mind. While attending the University of Edinburgh he came into contact with Goodsir Smith, MacDiarmid and Norman MacCaig - and Stella Cartwright with whom perhaps all of them were in love. By the time of his death in 1996 he was recognised as one of the great writers of his time and country.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86374 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 184 pages

Literary Review
"A hauntingly beautiful memoir." Maggie Parham.

About the Author
George Mackay Brown was one of the major Scottish literary figures of the twentieth century - a prolific poet and novelist, he took much of his inspiration from the myths and landscape of Orkney, and also from his deep Catholic faith. He was born in Orkney in 1921 and died there in 1996. Following his first book in 1954 he published many more, including plays, novels and poems. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has set much of his work to music. In 1988 he was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for The Golden Bird. In 1994 his Beside the Ocean of Time was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and judged Book of the Year by the Saltire Society.

Customer Reviews

magic inspired by the isles
what can i say. GMB is a fantastic writer, poet, dramatist and in the pages of this book you really do get to know the real man behind the magical writings he has produced over the years. ill health in childhood is perhaps the reason GMB was able to share his delightful imaginative work with us as prolonged perionds in isolation left him time to day dream and create his wonderful characters and tales. we learn of his time away from orkney where he was able to study at college, and spend time amongst some of the countries great scholars and thinkers of the time. it is such a shame that GMB has past away but we can be thankful he has left us so much to remember him by. this book is a must for any avid reader.