A funny, warm and timely meditation on identity and belonging,
following the scenic route along the England–Wales border:
Britain’s deepest faultline. There is a line on the map: to one
side Wales, small, rugged and stubborn; the other England, crucible
of the most expansionist culture the world has ever seen. It is a
line that has been dug, debated, defined and defended for twenty
centuries. The Land of Lost Content is a personal journey through
the places, amongst the people, and across the divides of the
border between England and Wales. Taking in some of our loveliest
landscapes, and our darkest secrets, this is a region of
immeasurable wonder and interest. It is there that the deepest
roots and thorniest paradoxes of Britishness lie. The border
between the countries, even as a concept, is ragged, jagged and
many-layered. Garlanded author Mike Parker has adored and explored
these places his entire life. Born in England but settled in Wales,
he finds himself typical of many in being pulled in both
directions. His journey is divided into three legs, corresponding
with the watersheds of the three great border rivers: the Dee in
the north, the Severn in the centre, the Wye in the south. Neither
quite England nor Wales, the furzy borderland he uncovers — the
March — is another country. A hefty schlep from everywhere, these
are A. E. Housman’s ‘blue remembered hills’ — his ‘land
of lost content’ — and ours too. Picking apart the many notions
and clichés of Englishness, Welshness and indeed Britishness, Mike
Parker plays with the very idea of borders, our fascination with
them, our need for them, and our response to their power. In his
hands, England–Wales border is revealed to be a border within us
all, and it is fraying, fast.
General
| Imprint: |
Harper North
|
| Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
| Release date: |
February 2024 |
| Authors: |
Mike Parker
|
| Dimensions: |
198 x 129 x 20mm (L x W x T) |
| Pages: |
320 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-00-849921-1 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
0-00-849921-7 |
| Barcode: |
9780008499211 |
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