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Second Sight
A novel set in a Highland shooting lodge, where the focus is a hunt in a remote deer forest; but this is no ordinary thriller. A shooting lodge party of wealthy English people, a team of Highland stalkers, a legendary stag to be hunted and a background of glen and corrie, shrouded from time to time by impenetrable mist. A marvellous blend of ever-changing landscape - be it light and shadow, swift transitiions from light to half light, mist, rain, tones and flowing lines - contribute to the dramatic essence of the novel. Culture and personality clashes and mystery, which portent much deeper clashes between spiritual and material values, provide a vastly enjoyable read.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2012
25 people want to read
About the author
Neil M. Gunn
63 books49 followersNeil Gunn, one of Scotland's most prolific and distinguished novelists, wrote over a period that spanned the Recession, the political crises of the 1920's and 1930's, and the Second World War and its aftermath. Although nearly all his 20 novels are set in the Highlands of Scotland, he is not a regional author in the narrow sense of that description; his novels reflect a search for meaning in troubled times, both past and present, a search that leads him into the realms of philosophy, archaeology, folk tradition and metaphysical speculation.
Born in the coastal village of Dunbeath, Caithness, the son of a successful fishing boat skipper, Gunn was educated at the local village primary school and privately in Galloway. In 1911 he entered the Civil Service and spent some time in both London and Edinburgh before returning to the North as a customs and excise officer based (after a short spell in Caithness) in Inverness. Before voluntary retirement from Government service in 1937 to become a full-time writer, he had embarked on a literary career with considerable success.
His first novel, The Grey Coast (1926), a novel in the realist tradition and set in Caithness in the 1920's, occupied an important position in the literary movement known as the Scottish Renaissance. His second novel, Morning Tide (1931), an idyll of a Highland childhood, won a Book Society award and the praise of the well known literary and public figure, John Buchan. The turning point in Gunn's career, however, came in 1937, when he won the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial prize for his deeply thought-provoking Highland River, a quasi autobiographical novel written in the third person, in which the main protagonist's life is made analogous to a Highland river and the search for its source.
In 1941 Gunn's epic novel about the fishing boom of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, The Silver Darlings, was widely acclaimed as a modern classic and considered the finest balance between concrete action and metaphysical speculation achieved by any British writer in the 20th century. It was also the final novel of a trilogy of the history of the Northlands, the other novels being Sun Circle (1933) on the Viking invasions of the 9th century and Butcher's Broom (1934) on the Clearances. In 1944 Gunn wrote his anti-Utopian novel, The Green Isle of the Great Deep, a book that preceded George Orwell's novel on the same theme, Nineteen Eighty-Four, by five years. The novel, using an old man and a young boy from a rural background as characters in a struggle against the pressures of totalitarian state, evoked an enthusiastic response from the famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung.
Some of Gunn's later books, whilst not ignoring the uglier aspects of the modern world, touch more on metaphysical speculation in a vein that is not without humour. The Well at the Worlds End (1951), in particular, lays emphasis on the more positive aspects of living and the value of that approach in finding meaning and purpose in life. Gunn's spiritual autobiography, The Atom of Delight (1956), which, although similar in many ways to Highland River, incorporates a vein of thought derived from Gunn's interest in Zen Buddhism. The autobiography was Gunn's last major work.
In 1948 Gunn's contribution to literature was recognised by Edinburgh University with an honorary doctorate to the author; in 1972 the Scottish Arts Council created the Neil Gunn Fellowship in his honour, a fellowship that was to include such famous writers as Henrich Boll, Saul Bellow, Ruth Prawar Jhabvala, Nadine Gordimer and Mario Vargas Llosa.
Born in the coastal village of Dunbeath, Caithness, the son of a successful fishing boat skipper, Gunn was educated at the local village primary school and privately in Galloway. In 1911 he entered the Civil Service and spent some time in both London and Edinburgh before returning to the North as a customs and excise officer based (after a short spell in Caithness) in Inverness. Before voluntary retirement from Government service in 1937 to become a full-time writer, he had embarked on a literary career with considerable success.
His first novel, The Grey Coast (1926), a novel in the realist tradition and set in Caithness in the 1920's, occupied an important position in the literary movement known as the Scottish Renaissance. His second novel, Morning Tide (1931), an idyll of a Highland childhood, won a Book Society award and the praise of the well known literary and public figure, John Buchan. The turning point in Gunn's career, however, came in 1937, when he won the prestigious James Tait Black Memorial prize for his deeply thought-provoking Highland River, a quasi autobiographical novel written in the third person, in which the main protagonist's life is made analogous to a Highland river and the search for its source.
In 1941 Gunn's epic novel about the fishing boom of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, The Silver Darlings, was widely acclaimed as a modern classic and considered the finest balance between concrete action and metaphysical speculation achieved by any British writer in the 20th century. It was also the final novel of a trilogy of the history of the Northlands, the other novels being Sun Circle (1933) on the Viking invasions of the 9th century and Butcher's Broom (1934) on the Clearances. In 1944 Gunn wrote his anti-Utopian novel, The Green Isle of the Great Deep, a book that preceded George Orwell's novel on the same theme, Nineteen Eighty-Four, by five years. The novel, using an old man and a young boy from a rural background as characters in a struggle against the pressures of totalitarian state, evoked an enthusiastic response from the famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung.
Some of Gunn's later books, whilst not ignoring the uglier aspects of the modern world, touch more on metaphysical speculation in a vein that is not without humour. The Well at the Worlds End (1951), in particular, lays emphasis on the more positive aspects of living and the value of that approach in finding meaning and purpose in life. Gunn's spiritual autobiography, The Atom of Delight (1956), which, although similar in many ways to Highland River, incorporates a vein of thought derived from Gunn's interest in Zen Buddhism. The autobiography was Gunn's last major work.
In 1948 Gunn's contribution to literature was recognised by Edinburgh University with an honorary doctorate to the author; in 1972 the Scottish Arts Council created the Neil Gunn Fellowship in his honour, a fellowship that was to include such famous writers as Henrich Boll, Saul Bellow, Ruth Prawar Jhabvala, Nadine Gordimer and Mario Vargas Llosa.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 21, 2020
This is my first time reading Neil Gunn. I was drawn to the Highland setting and focus on the second sight phenomena (once common among Scots) but apparently 'Second Sight' is an atypical work.
I'd describe this book as a supernatural thriller/mystical meditation on the clash between humanity's rational 'progressive' streak and our deep-set need for spiritual belief. Set in a Highland shooting lodge, the plot centres around a group of English holidaymakers/gamehunters and the Scottish stalkers and staff employed to assist them. At the centre of it all is the majestic and mysterious King Brude - a prize stag who has eluded capture for many years. One of the stalkers, Alick, gifted (or cursed) with second sight, foresees a terrible accident befalling the hunting party, a doom which hovers over the narrative until the final pages.
I love novels with philosophical leanings so the conversations regarding rationality, spirituality and Gunn's observations on the Highland character and landscape tipped this above an average thriller.
Wasn't keen on the overly sentimental sections but I've not read enough Gunn to know whether he's being ironic 🤔 He's also unable to resist idealising his female characters - Helen read like an idea of woman without the nuance given to the male characters.
Anyway, looking forward to delving into Gunn's other novels, particularly Silver Darlings, the work he's famous for.
I'd describe this book as a supernatural thriller/mystical meditation on the clash between humanity's rational 'progressive' streak and our deep-set need for spiritual belief. Set in a Highland shooting lodge, the plot centres around a group of English holidaymakers/gamehunters and the Scottish stalkers and staff employed to assist them. At the centre of it all is the majestic and mysterious King Brude - a prize stag who has eluded capture for many years. One of the stalkers, Alick, gifted (or cursed) with second sight, foresees a terrible accident befalling the hunting party, a doom which hovers over the narrative until the final pages.
I love novels with philosophical leanings so the conversations regarding rationality, spirituality and Gunn's observations on the Highland character and landscape tipped this above an average thriller.
Wasn't keen on the overly sentimental sections but I've not read enough Gunn to know whether he's being ironic 🤔 He's also unable to resist idealising his female characters - Helen read like an idea of woman without the nuance given to the male characters.
Anyway, looking forward to delving into Gunn's other novels, particularly Silver Darlings, the work he's famous for.
November 30, 2024
Ort der Handlung ist eine noble Jagdhütte in den schottischen Highlands, in die der Laird Familie und Freunde eingeladen hat. Die unterschiedlichsten Charaktere treffen aufeinander, besonders bei den jungen Leuten. Das Hauptthema ist die Jagd, besonders auf den legendären Hirsch King Brude. Ihn will jeder erlegen, aber obwohl jeder schon einen Blick auf das imposante Tier werfen durfte, kam ihm doch keiner nahe genug um einen Schuss zu platzieren. Eines Tages kommt Harry, ein Freund der Familie von einem Tag in den Bergen heim und berichtet von einem seltsamen Erlebnis, dass sein Gillie Alick hatte....
Die Geschichte lebt zum großen Teil von den Personen, die sich in der Jagdhütte aufhalten. Harry ist der Sonnyboy der Gruppe, freundlich zu jedermann egal ob Angestellter oder Familienmitglied. Helen ist die Tochter des Hause, die lebenslustige Joyce ist ihre Freundin. Dann sind da noch Geoffrey, ein arroganter junger Mann aus der Stadt der in allem der Beste sein muss und George, der neben Geoffrey und Harry eher blass wirkt. Die eher belanglosen Gespräche beim Abendessen bekommen durch Harrys Erlebnis eine neue Wendung. Sein Gillie Alick hat das zweite Gesicht und hat in den Bergen vier Männer gesehen die einen offenen Sarg trugen. Obwohl jeder der Anwesenden es immer wieder versucht, kann ihm keiner den Namen des Toten entlocken. Dieses Geheimnis nagt an allen und nach und nach steigern sich alle auf ihre ganz bestimmte Weise in die Geschichte hinein. Keiner zweifelt daran, dass sich Alicks Vision auf die eine oder andere Weise bewahrheiten wird.
Alick ist ein besonderer Charakter. Zu seinen Arbeitgebern ist er höflich, aber auch arrogant. Er sieht auf die Menschen in seiner Umgebung gleichermassen herunter, aber er läßt es nur die spüren ,die auf der gleichen Stufe mit ihm stehen. Er und der Hirsch und die Jagd auf ihn sind das zentrale Thema der Erzählung. Die Geschichte ist sehr spannend, weil man weiss dass noch etwas Schreckliches passieren wird, aber man weiß nicht was oder wann. Eine ungewöhnliches Geschichte für Neil Gunn.
Die Geschichte lebt zum großen Teil von den Personen, die sich in der Jagdhütte aufhalten. Harry ist der Sonnyboy der Gruppe, freundlich zu jedermann egal ob Angestellter oder Familienmitglied. Helen ist die Tochter des Hause, die lebenslustige Joyce ist ihre Freundin. Dann sind da noch Geoffrey, ein arroganter junger Mann aus der Stadt der in allem der Beste sein muss und George, der neben Geoffrey und Harry eher blass wirkt. Die eher belanglosen Gespräche beim Abendessen bekommen durch Harrys Erlebnis eine neue Wendung. Sein Gillie Alick hat das zweite Gesicht und hat in den Bergen vier Männer gesehen die einen offenen Sarg trugen. Obwohl jeder der Anwesenden es immer wieder versucht, kann ihm keiner den Namen des Toten entlocken. Dieses Geheimnis nagt an allen und nach und nach steigern sich alle auf ihre ganz bestimmte Weise in die Geschichte hinein. Keiner zweifelt daran, dass sich Alicks Vision auf die eine oder andere Weise bewahrheiten wird.
Alick ist ein besonderer Charakter. Zu seinen Arbeitgebern ist er höflich, aber auch arrogant. Er sieht auf die Menschen in seiner Umgebung gleichermassen herunter, aber er läßt es nur die spüren ,die auf der gleichen Stufe mit ihm stehen. Er und der Hirsch und die Jagd auf ihn sind das zentrale Thema der Erzählung. Die Geschichte ist sehr spannend, weil man weiss dass noch etwas Schreckliches passieren wird, aber man weiß nicht was oder wann. Eine ungewöhnliches Geschichte für Neil Gunn.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews