Malcolm, first published in 1875, is unique among MacDonald’s novels, in that its setting-and consequently its language-savours more than any other of his native northeast of Scotland. It also features his most carefully constructed plot (centring around the identity of his young fisherman-hero) and one of his most colourful casts of characters. Since the entire tale unfolds in the small coastal village of “Portlossie,” the author has been able to create, at least for the non-Scottish reader, the feeling of a world set apart: but the sheer grandeur of the tale, its deep-laid plots, and its deeper humanity and truth, will have an appeal not merely local but universal.
In his preface to the Scots/English edition, translator David Jack stresses the importance of the author’s native Doric, hailing Malcolm as “a feast of language” and “a unique chance to luxuriate.” The story’s fisherman-hero he identifies as one of MacDonald’s most vivid types of Christ: a young man with a passion both for service and adventure, who worthily bears the name of Scotland’s ancient kings.
Extensive Scots dialogue
“The sense of infinitude which comes to the soul when it is in harmony with the peace of nature, arose and spread itself abroad in Malcolm’s being, and he felt with the Galilaeans of old, when they forsook their nets and followed him who called them, that catching fish was not the end of his being, although it was the work his hands had found to do. ”
Recommended Editions and Adaptations
Scots-English Edition, full original text, plus for all passages in the Scots tongue, the original Scots is shown with a side-by-side translation into English by David Jack
The Cullen Collection Edition (abridged): paperback and kindle
Hardcover Editions (unabridged):
From WisePath Books
From Johannesen Printing & Publishing
Articles about Malcolm
VARIOUS SOURCES
“‘Within and Without’: Exploring the Mind in the Novels of George MacDonald”, by Saskia Voorendt
NORTH WIND ARCHIVE
The home page of the North Wind Archive can be accessed here.
“Preacher & Patriot: George MacDonald as a Scottish Novelist”, by Lorna Fergusson
“The Influence of Dante on George MacDonald”, by Giorgio Spina, translated by Paul Priest
Wingfold
Wingfold is a quarterly magazine that restores material by and about George MacDonald, in print since 1993. To subscribe, click here. To request any of the following articles that appear in back issues of Wingfold, contact Barbara Amell at b_amell@q.com.
Spring 2001
“1875 Review”
Fall 2012
“1874 Review”
“The Novelist of the North-East”, by John Matthewman
“Literary Tours of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland”, by Daniel Turner Holmes