This is George Mackay Brown's second volume of short stories, first published in 1969. They tell of Orkney life - elemental tales of the fishermen, crofters and farmers of the island, and the harsh, beautiful landscape in which they live.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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"[He] finds more diversity of subject and mood in these islands than most writers would see in a city street ... He is a precise, poetic and dazzling writer." (Guardian )
"A brilliant writer ... he combines great imagination, ... with a firm rooting in reality and a deep understanding of humanity." Kate Grimond. (Spectator ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"A brilliant writer ... he combines great imagination, ... with a firm rooting in reality and a deep understanding of humanity." Kate Grimond. (Spectator ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
'A Time to Keep' is George Mackay Brown's second volume of short stories, first published in 1969 and now re-issued as a Flamingo Modern Classic.
These sublime stories of Orkney life – pure, elemental tales of the fishermen, crofters and farmers of the island and the harsh, beautiful landscape in which they live are wonderful examples of the work of Scotland's greatest living writer.
“Mr Brown really does possess the magician's touch: there are few writers alive today with the courage to be so simple and direct, or with the talent – the sheer, unforced talent – to lighten up the most humdrum detail of an ordinary life and transform it into something unforgettable”
OBSERVER
“Mr Brown finds more diversity of subject and mood in these islands than most writers would see in a city street. He evokes nature constantly, but naturally, with ease and no pretension. His images are stark, carefully placed, and exact…he is a precise, poetic, and dazzling writer.”
GUARDIAN
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Sentinel
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Anyone new to Mackay Brown's work should certainly discover plenty of magic in these wonderfully compassionate tales. Short stories though they may be, they embrace many of life's crucial aspects with a beautifully crafted subtlety. Many of the major themes are here, from love lost, won, or unrequited, lonliness, dependency, fear of the future, the clash of time and generations, all delivered with a delicately crafted prose, and a supremely compassionate and unjudgemental eye.
The Orkney setting adds its own magic, as anyone familiar with these haunting isles will know, as the past breathes on the shoulder of the present, just as a standing stone's elemental presence looms over the new shiny red tractor. There is also an elemental sparseness here, captured in the language, which reflects the stark isolation of the setting: crofts far from neighbours, isolated shelters from the harshness of the wind, weather and pulling power of the sea. The characters, from Celia onwards, are drawn with a compassionate hand, so we identify and suffer with them, and their inner isolation, and struggle for meaning, security and love. Poetic tales, captured by a master craftsman. If you enjoy this, look for A Calendar of Love (Flamingo Modern Classic) or investigate his poetry or novels.
The Orkney setting adds its own magic, as anyone familiar with these haunting isles will know, as the past breathes on the shoulder of the present, just as a standing stone's elemental presence looms over the new shiny red tractor. There is also an elemental sparseness here, captured in the language, which reflects the stark isolation of the setting: crofts far from neighbours, isolated shelters from the harshness of the wind, weather and pulling power of the sea. The characters, from Celia onwards, are drawn with a compassionate hand, so we identify and suffer with them, and their inner isolation, and struggle for meaning, security and love. Poetic tales, captured by a master craftsman. If you enjoy this, look for A Calendar of Love (Flamingo Modern Classic) or investigate his poetry or novels.
By Bing
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was prompted to buy this volume of short pieces by the Orkney poet and writer George Mackay Brown by a brief but welcome series on BBC Radio 4, selecting three of the stories for broadcast. I was not disappointed; Mackay Brown may not have left his remote island for long, but he manages to offer a worldly view of human nature.
Most entertaining.
Most entertaining.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Orcadian Magic
12 Feb 2011
By Sentinel
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Anyone new to Mackay Brown's work should certainly discover plenty of magic in these wonderfully compassionate tales. Short stories though they may be, they embrace many of life's crucial aspects with a beautifully crafted subtlety. Many of the major themes are here, from love lost, won, or unrequited, lonliness, dependency, fear of the future, the clash of time and generations, all delivered with a delicately crafted prose, and a supremely compassionate and unjudgemental eye.
The Orkney setting adds its own magic, as anyone familiar with these haunting isles will know, as the past breathes on the shoulder of the present, just as a standing stone's elemental presence looms over the new shiny red tractor. There is also an elemental sparseness here, captured in the language, which reflects the stark isolation of the setting: crofts far from neighbours, isolated shelters from the harshness of the wind, weather and pulling power of the sea. The characters, from Celia onwards, are drawn with a compassionate hand, so we identify and suffer with them, and their inner isolation, and struggle for meaning, security and love. Poetic tales, captured by a master craftsman. If you enjoy this, look for A Calendar of Love (Flamingo Modern Classic) or investigate his poetry or novels.
The Orkney setting adds its own magic, as anyone familiar with these haunting isles will know, as the past breathes on the shoulder of the present, just as a standing stone's elemental presence looms over the new shiny red tractor. There is also an elemental sparseness here, captured in the language, which reflects the stark isolation of the setting: crofts far from neighbours, isolated shelters from the harshness of the wind, weather and pulling power of the sea. The characters, from Celia onwards, are drawn with a compassionate hand, so we identify and suffer with them, and their inner isolation, and struggle for meaning, security and love. Poetic tales, captured by a master craftsman. If you enjoy this, look for A Calendar of Love (Flamingo Modern Classic) or investigate his poetry or novels.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
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