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An Orkney Tapestry
£7.99
An Orkney Tapestry
A poet's vision of Orkney: ballads, folk tales, drama and environmental writing woven into a landmark work.
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About the Ebook
First published in 1969, An Orkney Tapestry, George Mackay Brown's seminal work, is a unique look at Orkney through the eye of a poet. Originally commissioned by his publisher as an introduction to the Orkney Islands, Brown approached the writing from a unique perspective and went on to produce a rich fusion of ballad, folk tale, short story, drama and environmental writing. The book, written at an early stage in the author's career, explores themes that appear in his later work and was a landmark in Brown's development as a writer. Above all, it is a celebration of Orkney's people, language and history. This edition reproduces Sylvia Wishart's beautiful illustrations, commissioned for the original hardback. Made available again for the first time in over 40 years, this new edition sits alongside Nan Shepherd's The Living Mountain as an important precursor of environmental writing by the likes of Kathleen Jamie, Robert Macfarlane, Malachy Tallack and, most recently, Amy Liptrot.Why You'll Love This Ebook
- George Mackay Brown's seminal work, back in print for the first time in over 40 years
- An important precursor to the nature writing of Kathleen Jamie, Robert Macfarlane and Amy Liptrot
- Reproduces Sylvia Wishart's beautiful original illustrations
- Read another celebrated title from Polygon - an imprint of Birlinn Ltd
Reviews
'Skilfully constructed, Mackay Brown weaves together myth, folklore, history, poetry, and even a self-contained play.' The Lady
'He transforms everything by passing it through the eye of the needle of Orkney.' Seamus Heaney
'A uniquely observant and skilful chronicler of life in his native Orkneys, past and present.' Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
George Mackay Brown (1921–96) was one of the twentieth century's most distinguished and original writers. His lifelong inspiration and birthplace, Stromness in Orkney, moulded his view of the world, though he studied in Edinburgh and later at Newbattle Abbey College. In 1941 he was diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis and lived an increasingly reclusive life in Stromness, but he produced a regular stream of publications from 1954 onwards. These included A Calendar of Love (1967), A Time to Keep (1969), Greenvoe (1972), Hawkfall (1974), and, notably, the novel Beside the Ocean of Time (1994), which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Saltire Book of the Year.Publication Details
Publisher: Polygon (an imprint of Birlinn Ltd)
Publication Date: 03 June 2021
Print Length: 304 pages (Ebook edition)
ISBN (Ebook): 9781788852357
Format: Ebook
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