Description

Book Synopsis

As a child Iain Crichton Smith was raised speaking Gaelic on the island of Lewis. At school in Stornoway he spoke English. Like many islanders before and since, his culture was divided: two languages and two histories entailing exile. His divided perspective delineated the tyranny of history and religion, of the cramped life of small communities, and gave him a compassionate eye for the struggle of women and men in a world defined by denials. After the Dance proves that big themes – love, history, power, submission, death – can be addressed without the foil of irony and acquire resonance when given a local habitation and a voice that risks pure, humane, impassioned speech.

This updated edition includes the story ‘Home’

After the Dance: Selected Stories of Iain

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    A Paperback / softback by Iain Crichton Smith, Alan Warner

    15 in stock

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      View other formats and editions of After the Dance: Selected Stories of Iain by Iain Crichton Smith

      Publisher: Birlinn General
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 01/09/2017
      ISBN13: 9781846974038, 978-1846974038
      ISBN10: 1846974038

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      As a child Iain Crichton Smith was raised speaking Gaelic on the island of Lewis. At school in Stornoway he spoke English. Like many islanders before and since, his culture was divided: two languages and two histories entailing exile. His divided perspective delineated the tyranny of history and religion, of the cramped life of small communities, and gave him a compassionate eye for the struggle of women and men in a world defined by denials. After the Dance proves that big themes – love, history, power, submission, death – can be addressed without the foil of irony and acquire resonance when given a local habitation and a voice that risks pure, humane, impassioned speech.

      This updated edition includes the story ‘Home’

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