Born on 17 October 1921, in Stromness, Orkney, George Mackay Brown, “The Bard of Orkney” would be a hundred years old today. We would like to join his many fans all over the world to celebrate this anniversary and pay homage to the great Scottish poet. As one of the leading Scottish poets and authors of the 20th century GMB … Continue reading →
Today, 15 August 2021, is a keydate on the Scottish calendar. It is the 250th birthday of Sir Walter Scott, one of the most popular authors in Scotland and his popularity goes far beyond its frontiers. As one of his French admirers, I could not help writing a few lines on Scotiana today. How I would like to be in … Continue reading →
Almost before you are aware of it the summer is over, we are in September, the autumn equinox is hard upon us, and we go wheeling down into the storms, the snow, the darkness of winter. It was all over too soon, the season of peaches (I never ate so many – this summer they were delicious), herrings, new potatoes, … Continue reading →
‘Books!’ says Tuppence in Agatha Christie’s Postern of Fate (Chapter 1: ‘Mainly Concerning Books’) “Is there anything I can take down for you?” “Well, I wish you would”, said Tuppence. “I’m falling off those chairs. Some of their legs are very wobbly, some of them rather slippery.” ”Any book in particular?” ”Well, I haven’t got on very far … Continue reading →
I’ve always delighted in the reading of old geographers and explorers.You feel in their texts the first tentative steps, see the earliest visions, register the initial astonishment at the appearance of the world in all its phenomenal strangeness. (Kenneth White – ‘Along the Atlantic Coast’ – The Wanderer and his Charts – 2004) In the morning, I’m standing at the … Continue reading →
Herman Melville came North to Canada on his honeymoon trip, when he was twenty-nine years old. In Montreal, he met Captain Coffin, about to leave on a whaling expedition up the norh Coast to Labrador. Maybe that was when the idea of the White Whale started germinating. A few months back, at Stromness, a little port in the … Continue reading →
