The Spirit of Jura

Sixty years ago, the beautiful island of Jura provided George Orwell the solitude and inspiration he needed to write his political masterpiece, "Nineteen Eighty-Four". In 2006, the Scottish Book Trust established their Jura Malt Whisky Writers' Retreat Programme to give writers the same peace and space, and it is now recognised as one of the best creative opportunities available. In 2007, authors Will Self, Janice Galloway and Philip Gourevitch took a month out, writing and living in the beautiful Distillery Lodge, to work on specially commissioned stories, published here for the first time. Poems, essays and artworks from other writers and artists, including Liz Lochhead and Kathleen Jamie, who have enjoyed a stay on Jura are also included in tribute to Jura's awe-inspiring landscape and the creativity it stimulates.