George Mackay Brown

George Mackay Brown was an Orcadian poet and Booker Prize shortlisted writer. Drawing on island life and lore, religious culture and histories, and the minutiae of life, he produced a poetry and prose that established him as one of Scotland’s greatest writers. Physically centred in Stromness, Brown’s writing radiated far beyond his island home, achieving international acclaim. Upon his gravestone are the lines, ‘Carve the runes/Then be content with silence’. Beyond the Swelkie is a break in this silence, a symphony of praise by Scotland’s contemporary poets and poetical commentators.

Edited by Paul S Philippou and Jim Macintosh.