Under Equality's Sun: George Mackay Brown and socialism from the margins of society

This thesis aims to urge consideration of George Mackay Brown (1921-96) as a writer of deeper political concern(s) than previously thought. Though Brown’s writing for local Orkney newspapers spans his entire literary career, critical appreciations of his journalism have tended to be shallow in investigation and narrow in terms of focus. After considering the political context in which Brown was raised, this thesis will then seek to enhance our understanding of Brown’s journalism and his political awareness by focusing on early articles that, this study contends, have not received sufficient attention in either biography or criticism. In broadening our understanding of this area, this study will regularly refer to articles that have not been extensively considered since their original publication during the infancy of Brown’s writing career - the articles selected are generally representative of Brown’s writing at the time, giving the reader a wide knowledge of the concerns and style of his early journalism. Once the terrain of Brown’s political leanings has been mapped out, this study will then explore how elements of Brown’s political attitudes translate to his creative work, predominantly through close reading of selected short stories. Having first of all examined Brown’s politics at an early stage of his career through his journalism, and then studied how this can be found within his creative work, this thesis will ultimately propose a new angle of consideration of his work: that Brown, while a writer of wide and varied concern, is a writer who can (and should) be considered within a political context.