By Lesley Eaton
AN eminent former pupil of Mackie Academy will deliver a keynote lecture in celebration of the Mearns’ great literary voice: Lewis Grassic Gibbon.
The Doric Board are hosting the third Flora Garry Lecture in October, in memory of the acclaimed New Deer-born poet who died in 2000 aged 100.
Each year, the annual celebration invites a distinguished speaker to reflect on an aspect of the North East’s cultural and literary heritage, with a particular focus on Doric.
This year the Lecture will look at the life and work of Mearns farmer’s son, James Leslie Mitchell who wrote one of Scotland’s most famous volumes “Sunset Song” under the name Lewis Grassic Gibbon.
Supported by music, song, poetry and more from fellow Doric Board members, the keynote presentation will be given by Doric Board founder member and Grassic Gibbon Centre director and former chair Jim Brown MBE MLitt FSAScot ARAgS.
Brought up on a small Mearns farm in similar circumstances to the author and, like him educated at Mackie Academy, Jim’s deep admiration for Gibbon’s work has run throughout his life which, included 40 years in the grain trade and many years involved in Highland games and community work. At the age of 77, he gained a Masters in Ethnology and Folklore from Aberdeen University.
As well as exploring the profound connections between land and people that are common far beyond the area, the lecture will provide insights including how Gibbon was inspired by the Doric language of the people he grew up among, weaving it into the narrative of one of the finest Scottish novels ever written.
Commenting on the forthcoming lecture, Jim Brown said: “I have long been an admirer of the way in which Gibbon absorbed, distilled and stored away the rural observations of his youth for what later became his literary jewel ‘Sunset Song,’ the first book in his landmark trilogy ‘A Scots Quair.’
“However, every rural community in Scotland shared the same harsh qualities and his writing is not parochial to the Mearns: it is that broad and enduring appeal that has ensured Gibbon’s place as one of our most important literary figures.”
The free-to-attend Floral Garry Lecture will take place at the Grassic Gibbon Centre, Arbuthnott, at 7pm on Thursday, October 16th.
The Flora Garry Lecture was held for the first time in 2023 and was spearheaded by Doric Board member Professor Peter Reid to memorialise her through this annual project. The Doric Board seeks to energise public appreciation of the region’s exceptional heritage of Doric language, music, ballad, song, story, history, lore, and the dynamic creativity of those who live and work in the area. The Doric Board aims to be a powerful voice for social and economic regeneration, and a driver towards a national Scots language board.
To find out more about The Doric Board, visit www.doricboard.com or email info@doricboard.com
