Walter Map, Layamon, William Langland, Michael Drayton, William Shenstone, Sabine Baring-Gould, A.E. Housman, J.R.R Tolkien, Geoffrey Hill, Simon Evans, Bruce Chatwin, all experienced an epiphany in The Lost Lands of western Britain. And so did one other writer - Martin Wall.
Hardcover
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Summary
Walter Map, Layamon, William Langland, Michael Drayton, William Shenstone, Sabine Baring-Gould, A.E. Housman, J.R.R Tolkien, Geoffrey Hill, Simon Evans, Bruce Chatwin, all experienced an epiphany in The Lost Lands of western Britain. And so did one other writer - Martin Wall.
Description
Part personal memoir, part cultural history, West is a compendium of ‘tales’, telling the story of a unique geographical and literary landscape – the western Midlands of England. It is a magpie’s nest, a melange of anecdotes, folk legends, ghost stories and fairy tales. But more than this, it is a record of a land and its people, told over 2,000 years of history – a land that birthed both industrial and cultural revolutions.A native of the area, Martin Wall takes us on a search for lost time in the Lost Lands of the west, charting the liminal energies which have so influenced our literature – and himself. Shamelessly nostalgic, sometimes tender, sometimes brutal, these tales invite us to immerse ourselves in the past, present and future, to become ‘unstuck in time’.How were the lands ‘lost’? The author laments the decline and fall of a succession of cultures, from the Celtic principality of Pengwern and the mighty kingdom of Mercia to the end of heavy industry in the late twentieth century. With a thoughtful foreword by Robert Plant, West takes history to a new imaginative edge.
Critic Reviews
'Luckily, there is richness enough in Mr Wall’s own writing. Chatty and haughty, self-conscious and unstintingly personal, it flits like a butterfly, challenging the reader with its enthusiasm for a proudly worn knowledge. When the author finally settles, gazes at the landscape he loves and trusts his inner voice, West can reveal both wonder and wisdom.' -- Country Life Magazine
'This captivating read offers a unique exploration of the enigmatic 'Lost Lands' of western Britain.' -- Higgypop.com
'With a thoughtful, almost nostalgic foreword by aforementioned Robert Plant, the author takes history to a new imaginative edge.' -- Phenomena Magazine
About the Author
Martin Wall has been interested in history since his early childhood, when he became fascinated by legends, folklore, magic and myth. Following his retirement, he published his first book, 'The Anglo-Saxon Age', in 2015. In 2019 his 'The Magical History of Britain' became a bestseller in 3 different categories. For more information visit historyeducation.org.uk.
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