Norman Bissell

Norman Bissell was born and grew up in Glasgow and has lived on the Isle of Luing in Argyll since 2007. A former history teacher and trade union official, he is the author of Barnhill a novel about the last years in the life of George Orwell in London, Paris and Jura where he struggled to write Nineteen Eighty-Four before his health failed. Published by Luath Press, it is a tragic love story and political page turner for which he received a Creative Scotland artist's bursary in 2014 for research and professional development to write this novel.

Barnhill

"Bissell fills out and explores more deeply Orwell’s character and his relationships with those around him. It’s a very believable portrayal, digging beneath the surface of a man who could be awkward, opinionated and intransigent in an attempt to see what made him tick." The Herald on Sunday

"... a truly excellent and compelling novel, one which provides a perceptive insight into the wretchedness experienced by Orwell... Possibly the best book you'll read this year." The Ileach

His poetry collection Slate, Sea and Sky, a journey from Glasgow to the Isle of Luing, with black and white images by acclaimed photographer Oscar Marzaroli, is also published by Luath Press.

He co-edited with Gavin Bowd and Charles Forsdick, Grounding a World: Essays on the Work of Kenneth White published by Alba Editions. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the work of the Scottish poet thinker and to what geopoetics is about.

He is the director of the Scottish Centre for Geopoetics at www.geopoetics.org.uk and co-edits its annual journal Stravaig. Author website: www.normanbissell.com.