Ravage

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 Comprising two previously unpublished manuscripts by Norge, Optik: A History of Ghost (1950) and Ravage (1961), this collection also includes rare original material, giving insight into Norge's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.

Through a combination of fragments that include poetry, logbook entries and correspondence between historical figures such as Sir David Brewster and Sir Walter Scott, MacGillivray introduces us to the troubled and mysterious character of Kristján Norge. The book ranges from meditations on Greek optics, to accounts of isolation and demonic transformation on a remote island, to various archival materials including maps and photographs that bring the story of Norge to life.

The book includes a QR code which can be used to access extra multimedia material by MacGillivray to further flesh out the world of Kristján Norge.