Brown, George Mackay

(British, 1921–96)

Brown lived in the Orkney Islands, and although awarded a host of literary awards, and an OBE, he led a quiet, modest life, visiting England only once. He tells stories intimately bound up with the rhythms of Orkney—those of the sea and the seasons, the sun and moon, and the cycles of birth and death. In them we meet ordinary people who find their destiny through encounters with God and nature. His works are beautifully written, with a lyrical quality reflected in the fact that many have been set to music. They have a rare quality of simple yet compelling wisdom. Magnus (1973) tells the life story of the patron saint of Orkney. Greenvoe (1972) is the story of a small community from prehistory to modern times.

  Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Eric Linklater, Mary Webb  EC