The Islands Are Not Lost, The Compass Is

Citation

MacNeil K (2023) The Islands Are Not Lost, The Compass Is. The Bottle Imp, (33). https://www.thebottleimp.org.uk/2023/11/the-islands-are-not-lost-the-compass-is/

Abstract
First paragraph: Recently, in my home island of Lewis I spent some life-enhancing time with two writers who were doing novel-related research in the Hebrides, one a Booker Prize winner at the dizzying apex of his career, the other, an American writer earnestly researching her first novel, demonstrating her commitment by starting to learn Gaelic. I am impatient already, hungrily looking forward to both books. During a conversation about how life is changing on these islands, Douglas Stuart, whose debut Shuggie Bain won the Booker and hearts and minds globally, recommended I read The Colony by Irish novelist Audrey Magee. I can see why. As the Financial Times describes it, this terrific book tells ‘a story about language and identity, about art, oppression, freedom and colonialism … a novel about big, important things.’ These timely themes are every bit as pertinent to the Scottish islands as to the Irish.

Journal
The Bottle Imp, Issue 33

People

Dr Kevin MacNeil

Lecturer in Creative Writing, English Studies