A Book of Death and Fish (54 page)

There follows a bound typescript, the PhD thesis of Dr Peter William MacAulay as submitted and accepted by Aberdeen University.

A copy of the full thesis has also been lodged with Western Isles Libraries but I have duplicated the introduction to the work in its place with the other documents – the writings and correspondence concluding with Peter's Will and Testament. These seem to have been written over a considerable period of time.

Two notes, written by Peter, are set out below.

‘N
OTE
3'

One further typewritten sheet was also found, apparently an appendix to the papers. This appears to be a transcription from the source, as credited, but to date I have not been able to refer to a copy to check this. I do know that Peter was fascinated by alternative versions of the same story.

This is a novel and so most of it is made up. It is set in geography which really exists and it refers to some historical events which are well substantiated. None of the main characters in this book are intended to represent any person, living or dead, though there are references to actual writers and artists, some still living.

The character of Anna is completely invented but I am indebted to my two sons, Sean and Ben, for some of her phrases, as children.

Gabriele is another invented character but I am indebted to several different persons’ accounts of their fathers’ survival stories, including that of Barbara Ziehm. I am also indebted to Barbara for some other phrases and incidents as I am to many colleagues and friends, over the years.

References to the tragedy of the
Iolaire
are indebted to research gone before. I was most influenced by the work done by Don Laing, Norman Malcolm MacDonald and Roddy Murray.

Some of the passages reflecting spoken Doric were tuned with the help of Alexander Hutchison. Alex Patience, from Fraserburgh, also helped bring me a sense of that town. Peter Mackay provided advice on the Gaelic. John McNaught, artist and printmaker, generously shared his ideas and research on the subject of Highland heroes and anti-heroes. John’s own research as well as his storytelling skills, informed me of the astonishing history of the family of Hugh Junor and the documented records of the opinions of some residents of Cromarty at the time of the struggle to end the slave trade in Britain. The initial drafts of some elements used in this book were the result of a commission by Highland Print Studio, in response to an invitation from the director, Alison McMenemy.

The idea of the blowlamp and oil-drum method of Raku firing is lifted from observing the workshop practice of the ceramic artist Alison Weightman. I heard the ‘Hybridean’ gag from Sophia Dale.

Thanks to the following people who have read and responded to drafts of the book:

Elek Horvath, Robert Macfarlane, Lily Greenall, Sue Stone, Peter Urpeth and the author of the report he commissioned as then Writing Development Officer for Hi-Arts.

I am very grateful to the publisher Sara Hunt for the courageous decision to take on this work at a time when most publishers would not consider novels at all, let alone one of this length. My wife, Christine Morrison, has put an incalculable number of hours into listening to the whole novel, then reading many drafts, helping with continuity, formatting and proofreading.

The work could not have been completed without the support of the Scottish Arts Council become Creative Scotland and the Hi-Arts service become Emergents. I wish to mention the late Dr Gavin Wallace individually for the trust shown in backing my proposal to devote two years to developing work from draft versions of many years of prose writing. This novel was brought to an advanced stage during that period. A Creative Futures Residency, developed and administered by Shetland Arts, in partnership with Western Isles Libraries, 2011–2012 also contributed.

Further editing was done as writer-in-residence in the garden of Dora Morrison, Kittle, Wales, and aboard Ken Linklater’s yacht
Rebecca
, on the road to Rathlin Island.

Back to the beginnings of this, my first novel, I am indebted to the great adventure of Thomas Crawford’s course on ‘Scott and the European novel’ (University of Aberdeen). Some writing which has found its way into this book also found a first readership through the creative writing groups, 1979–1980, initiated by Graeme Roberts, also a lecturer in the English department at Aberdeen.

Some previously published short stories have been reworked into this book. I am grateful to my very first publisher, James Campbell, and subsequent editors of
The New Edinburgh Review
and
The Edinburgh Review;
Stand; Waves
(Ontario);
Northwords Now;
ASLS as the publishers of
New Writing Scotland;
Polygon/pocketbooks as publishers of
Mackerel and Creamola
and
Green Waters
. Extracts were published or performed, as prizewinners, in the Baker Prize, run by The Reader’s Room, Isle of Skye, and The Scottish Writers Centre (linked to Aye Write festival, Glasgow). Particular thanks to Alec Finlay of Morning Star Publications and Hugh Andrew of Birlinn/Polygon. Thanks also to Birlinn for permission to quote from Norman M MacDonald’s
Portrona.

Thanks to Christian Salvesen PLC and the National Library of Scotland, partners with the Scottish Arts Council in instigating the first Robert Louis Stevenson Award at the suggestion of Frankie Fewkes and to Catherine Lockerbie, then literary editor of
The Scotsman
, who provided important support in the year following the inaugural Stevenson residency.

The support of Donald Smith and the board and staff of the George Mackay Brown Scottish Storytelling Centre over many years has been a major factor in developing chains of stories. I was introduced to the work of Brown at Aberdeen College of Education and met him first, thanks to an invitation to read my own stories at The Pier Arts Centre, Orkney. His positive reaction helped give me the confidence to continue seeking to find a form for my extended work in prose. Norman M MacDonald, Iain Crichton Smith and others who were generous in their comments on my first gathering of short stories (
Living At the Edge
, Machair Books, 1981) also encouraged me.

Three commissions to write for theatre provided an insight into the development of character. I don’t think this novel could have been achieved without that. The three Scottish directors, Gerry Mulgrew (
Seven Hunters
), Morven Gregor (
Brazil 12, Scotland Nil
) and Alison Peebles (
The Sked Crew
) all brought me into a rich collaborative game.

The views of Peter MacAulay and other characters in this book are not those of the author. Most importantly, I’d like to put it on record that I prefer brill to megrim.

Ian Stephen
is a writer, storyteller, artist and sailor from the Isle of Lewis. His prose, poetry and drama have been published around the world and garnered several awards. He was both the first winner of a Robert Louis Stevenson Award and the first artist-in-residence at StAnza, Scotland’s annual poetry festival. This is his first novel.