George Mackay Brown

George Mackay Brown (1921–96) was one of the twentieth century’s most distinguished and original writers. To mark his centenary, Scottish publisher Birlinn has republished some of his most seminal work in newly edited editions. Malachy Tallack and Linden Bicket, two of the series’ editors, celebrate this great Orcadian poet, author and dramatist. Malachy Tallack introduces Simple Fire, his edited collection of Mackay Brown’s short stories, and Linden Bicket explores An Orkney Tapestry, a rich fusion of ballad, folk tale, short story, drama and environmental writing.

About the authors: Linden Bicket is Lecturer in Literature and Religion in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. She is the author of George Mackay Brown and the Scottish Catholic Imagination (Edinburgh University Press, 2017). Her research focuses on patterns of faith and scepticism in twentieth-century fiction and poetry.​Malachy Tallack is an award-winning author and singer-songwriter from Shetland, whose books – both fiction and non-fiction – explore questions about community, memory, and the relationship between people and places.

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