Click to enlarge

Stories from South Uist

by Angus MacLellan

ISBN: 9781874744269
Imprint: Birlinn
Publication Date: Feb 2005
Format: Paperback
Price: £8.99
Stock Status: in stock

John Lorne Campbell’s translations were made directly from tape recordings, and they perfectly convey the terse and vivid expression of the original Gaelic without losing the natural rhythms of idiomatic English.

These tales of ancient kings, thrilling escapes, jealous stepmothers and magic spells are fascinating not only for their narrative power, but also their links with myths and legends from Ireland, Scandinavia, France and Greece.

South Uist was one of the last places in Western Europe where the ancient art of storytelling was still honoured and practiced, and the style of these translations is at once unusual and hypnotic, reflecting the oral tradition at their source.

Born in 1869, Angus MacLellan's life encompassed two centuries and great changes in the Scottish way of life, from rural to industrial, from island to mainland. He left Uist to go into camp with the militia, before working for farmers on the mainland in Perthshire and Argyll. He later returned to the family croft on South Uist to work at inshore fishing and crafting.

Recommend to a friend