Bøker av Donald S. Murray

April 21, 1923. The SS Metagama is inching out of Stornoway harbor, Scotland. On board are Finlay and Mairead, young and hopeful, destined for Detroit.On the other side of the Atlantic, the effects of the Great Depression are inescapable. Prejudice and division are rife, and though they remain bound by a shared past, their lives soon diverge.In an adopted country that is tense with both opportunity and loss, can Mairead and Finlay keep their promises to one another to look only forward, and resist the constant pull of home?From the author of the prize-winning As the Women Lay Dreaming comes a poignant and deeply evocative novel of the 20th-century emigrant experience in the New World. With lyrical prose and masterful storytelling, Murray paints a vivid portrait of the resilient Hebrideans-in-exile who struggled between holding on and letting go.

Every year, ten men from Ness, at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis, sail north-east for some forty miles to a remote rock called Sulasgeir. Their mission is to catch and harvest the guga; the almost fully grown gannet chicks nesting on the two hundred foot high cliffs that circle the tiny island. The Guga Hunters tells their story.

People living on the edge or in the midst of moorland have interacted with their environment for centuries, utilizing its resources and drawing upon its unique features to provide shape and meaning for their lives.Donald S. Murray''s new book is an examination of the moorland, ranging from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and even Australia. Murray explores moorland in all its different guises and roles, considering its scientific, aesthetic and preservative qualities, reflecting on how for centuries humans have represented it in literature, art and folk tales. He reveals both its industrial heritage and how we still use and abuse it today. In particular, Murray examines the politics of ownership and the way Europe''s moorlands have been employed for punitive purposes and in rebellions against the authority of the state.The Dark Stuff weaves in Murray''s childhood memories and his experiences from the Isle of Lewis as he investigates oral histories, poetry, songs, and historical records about these locations. He also confronts some of the darker realities of how European moorland has been employed in the recent and historical past, examining current political debate and scientific knowledge, and delving into social, economic, and religious histories to provide broader context.

Vivid prose interspersed with poetry and illustrations, creating a colourful and insightful ficionalisation of life on remote St Kilda.