Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Call of the Isles: A Scottish Anthology" edited by John Gerard Fagan is a wonderful book that is guaranteed to evoke the islandophile in each of us. The stories presented between the covers are beautifully varied and enticingly short. Most are two to three pages in length and this brings out the very best in the authors, who are of necessity required to weigh every word they include. The effect on the reader is very like that on a diner presented with a platter of beautifully-crafted and intensely-flavoured seafood morsels. You savour each one, while looking forward to the next. And when the plate is clean - or the last page read - there is a feeling of regret, tempered by the beguiling memory of what you've consumed.

In his introduction, the editor sets the scene: "Why are islands so captivating? They embody universal themes of isolation, loneliness, and the loss of civilisation - fundamental fears etched deep into our collective psyche and passed down through generations. We see islands as sanctuaries from the militant grey of the modern world, yet, given time, they often transform into places of despair... Stories for this anthology were selected for the strength of their storytelling and their exploration of key island themes such as love and loss."

The book certainly achieves what it sets out to do. The individual stories range widely in both time and geography. There is, of course, a particular emphasis on Scottish islands, but settings range as far afield as Hong Kong. Especially effective is the focus on the use of the Scots language. As the editor notes: "It is now more important than ever to recognise Scots not only as a language but as a vessel for the distinctive, enigmatic prose of its people."

The anthology features the work of: Donald Adamson, Rory Allison, Ricky Monahan Brown, Peter Burnett, Neil Cocker, Maggie Colquhoun, Morag Coyle, JS Daly, John Dean, JP Dolan, Scott Ferguson, Mirri Glasson-Darling, Stephanie Garcia, Stephen Kingston, Coinneach MacIntyre, Charles McGarry, Liam McLeod, Eilidh McIntosh, Jamie David McLean, David McVey, Ewan Morrison, Kate Peel, Roger David Smith, Rose Campbell-Smith, Robin Montgomery-Smith, Andrew Tagg, Dickson Telfer, Douglas Thompson, LG Thomson, and Les Wilson.