MacGillivray's Ravage: reviews & books of the year features
‘A toweringly original - multi-genre, documentary, polyphonic, heteroglossic - tour-de-force from MacGillivray, reminiscent of her The Last Wolf of Scotland in its unique and restless form and visionary imagination. No one else is writing like this. No one has ever written like this. Except maybe Kristjan Norge.’ – Steve Ely, Broken Sleep Books (Books of the Year 2023)
MacGillivray is the Highland name of Scottish writer, artist and musician Kirsten Norrie. Her fourth poetry book Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire was published by Bloodaxe Books on 16 November 2023. An online launch hosted by Bloodaxe was livestreamed on 21 November 2023 - scroll down to view.
Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire draws together MacGillivray's extensive research into the life and work of Norwegian-Shetlandic poet Kristján Norge, who vanished from Eilean a’ Bhàis in the Outer Hebrides in 1961. Comprising two previously unpublished manuscripts by Norge, Optik: A History of Ghost (1950) and Ravage (1961), this collection also includes rare original material, giving insight into Norge's troubled existence and mysterious disappearance. Ravage: a film by MacGillivray accompanies the book and can be seen via a QR code at the back of the book (or scroll down).
The archive of Shetlandic-Norwegian poet Kristján Norge is held at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh. Available to view by request.
MacGillivray has been publlished by Bloodaxe Books since 2016. Her second collection, The Nine of Diamonds: Surroial Mordantless, came out in October 2016, followed by The Gaelic Garden of the Dead in 2019. Her fourth poetry book Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire was published by Bloodaxe in November 2023. After living for many years in Edinburgh, MacGillivray is now based in Oxford.
REVIEW COVERAGE
The Times Literary Supplement, Friday 5 April 2024
An excellent review of MacGillivray’s fourth book of poetry, Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire, is featured in the TLS of 5 April.
‘Combining the arcane scholarship of Robert Graves’s The White Goddess (1948) and the gothic horror of The Wicker Man (1973), MacGillivray’s Ravage speaks to us from an eerie and evanescent past [...] Brittly beautiful poems of “lucent pharography” perform insistent incantations, working the permutations of a metaphysical vocabulary of fire, ice, bone and ash […] A floridly compelling fantasia, [Ravage] opens an audacious portal into rarely glimpsed realms…’ – David Wheatley, The Times Literary Supplement
In print. The full review can be seen online without subscription.
https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/ravage-macgillivray-book-review-david-wheatley/
ONLINE REVIEW COVERAGE
DURA (Dundee University Review of the Arts), online 15 March 2024
A thoughtful review of MacGillivray’s fourth book of poetry, Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire, has gone online at DURA.
'Ravage meditates on a lost poet’s work. I sense that a grail of Norge’s complex creativity was gathered by Moncreiff; MacGillivray in turn carries it in this extraordinary vessel, as his co-choisiche (spirit co-walker) … Perhaps our place, in turn, is to allow ourselves astonishment. The forensic re-readings will follow, as questions rise from the saline ash.' – Beth McDonough, DURA (Dundee University Review of the Arts)
https://dura-dundee.org.uk/2024/03/15/ravage-an-astonishment-of-fire/
ONLINE ARTICLE BY MACGILLIVRAY
Caught by the River, The Mariner Orchard, online 31 January 2024
Kirsten Norrie (MacGillivray) has contributed a piece to Caught by the River. 'The Mariner Orchard' was published on 31 January 2024 and links to MacGillivrary's fourth book of poetry Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire. Among other things, MacGillivray writes about her research into the work of Shetlandic-Norwegian modernist poet Kristján Norge, whose work is gathered together in Ravage. She also writes about the process of making the film which accompanies the book, which is accessible via a QR code printed inside.
‘Kirsten Norrie draws inspiration from the workshop of Britain’s last ship figurehead carver, and the heads it houses.’
https://www.caughtbytheriver.net/2024/01/the-mariner-orchard-kirsten-norrie-andy-peters-ship-figurehead/
BOOKS OF THE YEAR COVERAGE
Broken Sleep Books, Books of the Year 2023, online 2 January 2024
Broken Sleep Books asked a selection of their authors for their favourite poetry books of 2023. Three 2023 Bloodaxe titles were chosen for the feature.
‘A toweringly original - multi-genre, documentary, polyphonic, heteroglossic - tour-de-force from MacGillivray, reminiscent of her The Last Wolf of Scotland in its unique and restless form and visionary imagination. No one else is writing like this. No one has ever written like this. Except maybe Kristjan Norge.’ – Steve Ely, Broken Sleep Books (Books of the Year 2023), on Ravage
https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/post/books-of-the-year-2023
GUEST APPEARANCE ON BACKLISTED PODCAST
Backlisted: Basil Bunting - Briggflatts, Episode #201, Tuesday 12 December 2023
A special edition of the Backlisted podcast devoted to a discussion about the late Basil Bunting’s long poem Briggflatts was recorded in front of an audience at the Woodstock Poetry Festival on 2 December 2023. Backlisted hosts John Mitchinson and Andy Miller were joined by Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley and poet MacGillivray, who had just launched her new book Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire at the festival.
https://www.backlisted.fm/episodes/201
AUTUMN HIGHLIGHTS CHOSEN BY LIBRARIANS FOR THE BOOKSELLER
The Bookseller, Librarians’ Choices, Friday 1 September 2023
National Poetry Librarian Chris McCabe from the Southbank Centre’s National Poetry Library chose two forthcoming Bloodaxe titles for The Bookseller’s Autumn Highlights feature chosen by Librarians from across the UK. The titles chosen were Oxford-based Scottish poet MacGillivray’s new book Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire, and Bloodaxe's Mapping the Future anthology.
‘The subtitle “An Astonishment of Fire” says all you need to know about MacGillivray’s book: this is explosive work. Ravage presents the life and work of ... Norwegian-Shetlandic poet Kristján Norge, who “vanished” from the Outer Hebrides in 1961. MacGillivray invites us to live and breathe Norge’s last days, demons and all.’ – Chris McCabe, Librarian, National Poetry Library, in The Bookseller (Autumn 2023 Highlights)
LIVE-STREAMED LAUNCH EVENT
Tuesday 21 November 2023, 7pm GMT, joint livestreamed launch event
MacGillivray launched her new book alongside Matthew Caley and Abigail Parry at this online event celebrating the publication of their new poetry books.
The poets read live and discussed their work with each other and with the host, Bloodaxe editor Neil Astley. This free Bloodaxe launch event was streamed on YouTube Live and is now available on our YouTube channel (or click on the arrow below). MacGillivray read second in each set.
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Ravage: a film by MacGillivray
The fictional work The Wind of Voices, included as an appendix at the end of MacGillivray’s book Ravage: An Astonishment of Fire, is based on the diaries of Kristján Norge’s friend, Luce Moncrieff. Ravage: a film by MacGillivray also draws upon those diaries, filmed on Eilean a’ Bhàis in the Outer Hebrides, where Kristján Norge spent his final months, with Ginny Fitzroy as Luce Moncrieff. Cinematography: MacGillivray, Anonymous Bosch. Producer: A.R. Thompson. Sound: MacGillivray, Ben Chatwin. In memory of Kristján Norge (1920-1961). Spoken by Luce Moncrieff.
[08 January 2024]
