George Mackay Brown
George Mackay Brown was a celebrated Scottish poet, novelist, and short story writer born in 1921 on the island of Orkney. His deep connection to his Orcadian roots significantly influenced his literary work, as he frequently drew upon the rich history and culture of Orkney. Despite facing health challenges throughout his life, including tuberculosis and a lifelong struggle with illness, Brown channeled his experiences into his writing. He began his literary career by contributing to the Orkney Herald and released his first poetry collection, *The Storm, and Other Poems*, in 1954, with the encouragement of fellow poet Edwin Muir.
Brown's body of work includes numerous collections of poetry, short stories, and novels, with notable titles like *Greenvoe* (1972) and *Beside the Ocean of Time* (1994), the latter of which won the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year. His literary contributions earned him several accolades, including the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1974 and recognition as a Booker Prize finalist. Brown was also honored with multiple honorary degrees throughout his career. He passed away in 1996, the same day renowned composer Peter Maxwell Davies dedicated his sixth symphony to him, highlighting the impact Brown had on both literature and the arts.
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Subject Terms
George Mackay Brown
Poet
- Born: October 17, 1921
- Birthplace: Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland
- Died: April 13, 1996
- Place of death: Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland
Biography
George Mackay Brown was born on the island of Orkney in 1921. His mother spoke Gaelic, which may have helped reinforce in Brown the strong sense that Orcadians differentiated themselves from Scottish mainlanders. Brown never married, and his poetry does not rely on the his life story for inspiration. Instead, Brown’s poems are frequently about Orkney history and culture. Brown was stricken with measles in his teens, an event that foretold a lifelong battle with illness. In 1940 his father died. The next year Brown got tuberculosis, which required a six- month convalescence. While recovering, Brown wrote poems and began contributing to the Orkney Herald, a local newspaper.
His foray into journalism provided Brown entrée to local artists and writers. Orkney poet Edwin Muir wrote the introduction to George Mackay Brown’s first book of poetry,The Storm, and Other Poems, self-published in 1954. Muir, the warden of Newbattle Abbey College, had seen promise in Brown, and had arranged for him to study. Muir intervened to help Brown find a publisher for his next book of poetry, Loaves and Fishes, published in 1959. The next year Brown finished his undergraduate studies at Edinburgh University. Brown’s health failed in the winter of 1960. He recovered, though, and rejected his Calvinist heritage and became Roman Catholic in 1961. He attributed his conversion in large measure to the literary pull of an essay about Cardinal Henry Edward Manning written by Lytton Strachey. Brown would later return to Edinburgh to pursue a M.A.; he wrote his thesis on Gerald Manley Hopkins. While at Edinburgh, Brown developed important friendships with writers like Norman MacCaig, Sydney Goodsir Smith, and Hugh MacDiarmid.
Brown published his first collection of short stories,A Calendar of Love, and Other Stories, in 1967. More than a dozen collections followed, including A Time to Keep, and Other Stories in 1969 andHawkfall in 1974. Like his poetry, the short stories and novels of George Mackay Brown evolve out his Orkney past. Brown published his first novel, Greenvoe, in 1972, and his novel Beside the Ocean of Time, published in 1994, was awarded the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year. Brown was also named a Booker Prize finalist in 1994. In 1974, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE), and he became a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1977. Honorary degrees were bestowed by the Open University in 1976, the University of Dundee in 1977, and the University of Glasgow in 1985. Brown died in 1996, on the day that Peter Maxwell Davies completed his sixth symphony, which he dedicated to the prolific author.