This is the author's second volume of short stories inspired by both ancient and modern life on the island of Orkney. First published in 1969, its 12 stories depict a vast cast of characters drawn from Orkney's past and present offering a range of emotions and incidents. They are elemental tales of the fishermen, crofters and farmers of the island and the harsh, beautiful landscape in which they live.

Author Biography

George Mackay Brown is one of the major Scottish literary figures of the twentieth century. A prolific poet and novelist, he took much of his inspiration from the myths and landscape of Orkney, and also from his deep Catholic faith. His collection of short stories A Time to Keep (1971) won the Katherine Mansfield Mentor short story prize and his novel Beside the Ocean of Time was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994. He died in 1996.