George Mackay Brown

George Mackay Brown (17 October 1921 – 13 April 1996) was a Scottish poet, author and dramatist, whose work has a distinctly Orcadian character. He is considered one of the great Scottish poets of the 20th century.

A Work for Poets

To have carved on the days of our vanity
A sun
A ship
A star
A cornstalk

Also a few marks
From an ancient forgotten time
A child may read

That not far from the stone
A well might open for wayfarers

Here is a work for poets-
Carve the runes
Then be content with silence

George Mackay Brown was born on 17 October 1921. The youngest of six children, his parents were John Brown, a tailor and postman, and Mhairi Mackay, who had been brought up in Braal, a hamlet near Strathy, Sutherland as a native Gaelic speaker.

Except for periods as a mature student on mainland Scotland, Brown lived all his life in the town of Stromness in the Orkney islands. Due to illness his father was restricted in his work and received no pension. The family had a history of depression and it is likely that Mackay's uncle, Jimmy Brown, committed suicide: his body was found in Stromness harbour in 1935.

George Mackay Brown's youth was marked by poverty and it was from this time that he was affected by tuberculosis. This illness kept him from entering the army at the start of World War II and it afflicted him to such an extent that he could not live a normal working life; however, it was because of this that he had the time and space in which to write. He did start work in 1944 with The Orkney Herald, writing on Stromness news, and soon became a prolific journalist. He was encouraged in his writing of poetry by Francis Scarfe, who was billeted in the Browns' house for over a year from April 1944. After this he was helped in his development as a writer by Ernest Marwick, whose criticism he valued, and Robert Rendall.

In 1947, Stromness voted to allow pubs to open again, the town having been 'dry' since the 1920s. When the first bar opened in 1948 Mackay Brown first tasted alcohol, which he found to be "a revelation; they flushed my veins with happiness; they washed away all cares and shyness and worries. I remember thinking to myself 'If I could have two pints of beer every afternoon, life would be a great happiness'". Subsequently, alcohol played a considerable part in his life, although he says, "I never became an alcoholic, mainly because my guts quickly staled".

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