Centenary of George Mackay Brown’s birth marked

Today, Sunday, October 17, marks what would have been the 100th birthday of one of Orkney’s greatest and most famous writers.

Much of 2021 has been given over to celebrating the life an work of George Mackay Brown (GMB), who passed away in 1996.

This outpouring of creative and cultural effort during a time of adversity just goes to show the immense impact the author and poet has had in Orkney.

This culminates today on what would have been the writer’s centenary. To make the occasion, Thursday’s newspaper included a two-page feature on GMB, including words from some of Orkney’s most prominent writers today.

In addition, Stromness-based creative Pam Beasant has shared a poem which she has written in memory of Orkney’s most hailed poet and author, which you can read below.

Letter to George

(i.m. George Mackay Brown, 1921-1996)

The last of the September light

is all but gone, the equinox past too.

Birds are shrill in the trees.

The moody weather-splendour of October settles in.

How your heart would sink at it –

the prospect of winter stretching out –

only St Lucy, with her steady candle,

holding at the heart a little flame.

From the magician’s trick of heaven, do you

see Hamnavoe, as if from high above? Or,

are you wrapped around us omnipresently;

twinkling, without blue eyes to smile from?

Impossible, we are Stromness again,

though different now; not earls and tinkers,

fishermen with ploughs. And all things

will pass like you; like time; will flash and die.

Pam Beasant