Evocative writing style from another era

Wordsmith: The late George Mackay Brown.

I'm currently reading George Mackay Brown's Northern Lights. It is a collection of writing that was put together many years after his passing in 1996.

Mackay Brown was a storyteller, journalist, dramatist and perhaps most of all a poet. His visually rich language so readily found in his poems, is also a hallmark of his prose. There is a depth of description and thought, a capturing of place, atmosphere and feeling that is so dense and powerful - like an exceedingly rich cake - that it must only be consumed in small doses if it is to be properly savoured and enjoyed.

His prose burns brightly and hails from a different era; an era before today's increasingly simplistic forms of expression and communication that are ever more watered down, unfulfilling and bereft of characteristics. It seems the overwhelming need now is to cater for shortening attention spans and social media "shortcuts" that render words into woefully butchered versions of their original, even into single characters, pictograms or emojis.

When I read a piece of descriptive work by Mackay Brown, I feel uplifted. My mind is emboldened and inspired to search for its own greater artistic expression.

I am left to wonder if the style and depth of writing that Mackay Brown so magnificently mastered, and that is fading to a twilight ember in the face of today's throwaway blandness, might be revived. Could we see a reversal of the trend and with it a lifting of our spirit - a sensory renewal, through the written word, of the world around us?
I hope so.

Farewell, Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, died at the weekend aged 82. He was the Columbus of our time.

During the weekend I also finished reading the biography of George Mackay Brown. Inspired by the creativity of expression he achieved through his writing - even in letters to friends - I applied some of that to this epitaph to Neil Armstrong:

The night galleon sails through the darkness and gazes upon Earth's gardens, sighing, no longer able to see the gentle ambassador who was the first to visit.

There is magic in the way Mackay Brown weaved and juxtaposed words and images to create vivid, memorable imagery and moods.

From the biography I take many things, not just the fascinating tale of the poet-writer's life in the remote Orkney islands but also his methods and the way he set his working schedule whereby he would write for a given time each day (three or four hours after breakfast in the morning). His words were shaped and immersed in the surroundings he loved, treasured and rarely left. Also, when he was not writing, he would read regularly.

I shall apply these lessons to my own writing as I polish up, and complete, Dolphin Girl.

Today is also a special day, being the 32nd anniversary of my first recorded training run in 1980. Beneath the blazing August sun I ran along the trailway by the aquamarine and turquoise waters of the north shore, flushing countless buckeye butterflies from the grassy path near Bailey's Bay as I sweated out six miles in the 30C (85F) heat.

Running is both exercise and thinking time when I often explore story ideas, dreaming up plots and dialogue. My mind now is on Dolphin Girl.

George Mackay Brown - island poet

Throughout his life he rarely left his island home. His poems and books were reflections of the place that he called home - the remote Orkney islands to the north east of Scotland.

George Mackay Brown's connection with the place where he was born, and which he left only for the briefest of spells, is something remarkable as I discovered while reading a biography of his life, written by Maggie Fergusson.

Many years ago it was by chance that I picked up one of Mackay Brown's books 'Time in a Red Coat'. Since then I have always been curious about who this seemingly hermit-like writer and poet was.

In Fergusson's biography there is a richness of unexpected depth and insight. More than just a story of a gifted writer and poet, it traces a life filled with joy, tragedy, love and heartbreak and a cast of fascinating characters who wandered in and out of Mackay Brown's own quiet and mostly island-centric life.

"The best biography of a poet I have ever read" says A.N. Wilson by way of a recommendation on the cover of the book, and his words echo my own thoughts.

The story is told in a thoughtful and detailed way. It is interspersed with pieces of Mackay Brown's own writing and verse, and lines and chunks of private letters both send and received. How he worked, what he loved and cherished, and the way he processed the world around him - which was predominately the Orkney islands - provides much to ponder and appreciate.

At the same time, the quality of his writing and the way he sculpted his thoughts is a lesson in the craft of writing.

As important as it is to write, it is equally important for writers to step back and immerse themselves on occasion in the works of others. 'George Mackay Brown - The Life' is a truly inspiring read.

'A crofter at early light

Found an empty boat stuttering on the rocks...'

- Thorfinn (by George Mackay Brown)

UPDATE (31 August 2012): My review of the book on Amazon is HERE