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Literature of the Gaelic Landscape
Song, Poem and Tale
By (author)
John Murray
Genres:
Language: history & general works, Poetry, Place names & gazetteers, Active outdoor pursuits, Literary studies: general
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Synopsis
From the comfort of an armchair and with the aid of this new book, the reader can travel to the Breadalbane and Argyll of Duncan Ban Macintyre; the Skye and Raasay of Sorley Maclean; and the Caithness and Sutherland of Neil M. Gunn. Photographs, maps and place-names linked to key passages in the texts will immerse readers in the landscapes which songs, poems and tales have described and enlivened over the ages.For those who wish to brave the weather, the insects, the sheer drops, the morasses and the vast spaces, the book can be used as a field guide taking the same walks followed by the author. The touch, smell and landmarks of song, poem and tale can be experienced.The author has immersed himself further in the Gaelic literature of place so that readers, with book in hand, can make the past come alive and appreciate the extracts about a place and what has happened there. As an adult, Neil M. Gunn saw himself as a boy, sitting on a slab in the middle of the river cracking hazelnuts with a stone. Through the eyes of Duncan Ban Macintyre see Ben Dobhrain and the journey of the deer to the holy spring, from the vantage point of Patrick's stone.
On Dun Cana sit at the centre of the swirl of place-names in Sorley Maclean's Hallaig. Journey around the north and east coasts of Caithness and Sutherland in the wake of the White Heather and the Seafoam, in the Silver Darlings. New & Used
| Seller | Information | Condition | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | - | New | £12.17 + FREE UK P & P |
What Reviewers Are Saying
`...a distinct and original contribution. Murray's work is a stimulating contribution that raises fundamental questions about land, places, names, language and memory and will repay close reading and further thought'. Scottish Literary Review ------------------- `...for Gaels the importance of place is particularly strong. Murray explains how place names in the Highlands are linked to experiences and legend, and how this is expressed in Gaelic poetry. If, as you walk the bens and glens of the Scottish Highlands, you would like to visit to improve your understanding of the cultural heritage of the places that you visit, Gaelic Landscape is the book to read'. Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal -------------------- `...makes startling use of place-names to illuminate some of the profoundest questions to literature. ...he shows how place-names can relate to memory, community, culture and the self. ...this masterly book... ...the book's greatest satisfaction in giving concrete evidence for much that we have hitherto on inferred'. Scottish Place Names Society Newsletter -------------------- `...is equally informative and recommended... ...for anyone learning the Gaelic... ...we learn how those Highland folk - now mostly gone - understood, celebrated and remembered the Gaelic Landscape in word and song'. Mountain Bothies Association Newsletter -------------------- `...once begun I couldn't put it down. It is an absorbing read. The book, explores and expands on the close links and ties of the Gaelic language with the landscape, is well-considered and researched. ...a gem of a read. ...John Murray's insightful book will certainly grace any book shelf'. The Munro Society Newsletter -------------------- `...shows very clearly why Gaelic is so important to Scotland as a nation as a whole... His latest book is equally remarkable, and equally enlightening. The end result is a book or truly lasting value, and an important book that shows why the Gaelic language matters to all of us'. Undiscovered Scotland -------------------- `...John Murray explores how the Gaelic language, rooted in a sense of place makes poetry of the Highlands. ... Drawing and abstracting the pattern of place-name narratives or song-lines makes possible a new and different understanding of Gaelic literature'. The Scotsman