The Wreck of the Archangel
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
This collection of the poetry of George Mackay Brown centres on the theme of journeys - including an ill-fated 19th century trip ending off the Orkney island of Westray, from which the book takes its title.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A poet of the Orkney Islands of northernmost Scotland, Brown (Voyages) is something of a relic. The stuff of these poems is stout fare: legends of the sea, fish and corn, crumbling kirks and stone jars full of ale. Elemental rewards are discovered in these provincial tales and evocations, as in the title poem, which opens the collection: ``Then, under the lamentation of the great sea harp,/ Frailty of splintering wood, scattered cries,/ The Atlantic, full-blooded, plucking/ And pealing on the vibrant crag.'' As clear images of historical and contemporary Orcadian life appear, so does the ripe intelligence of the collection; here is a real if pre-industrial culture, preserved by a skilled poet's fervent art in a variety of styles. A number of meditations and seasonal songs close the book with a sense of religious authenticity.
