4 out of 5 stars
A copy of this was provided free of charge from the publisher in return for an honest review.
People have been inspired to create some form of art in response to their favourite landscapes. Some paint, others use it as a rich vein of stories for film and others seek the stories in amongst the rocks. For Simon Corble, the White Peak is a landscape that was once a tropical ocean, and not is the southern part of the peak district. He lives in a village on this limestone plateau and for him and many others, it is a special place.
This collection of poems and photographs follow the year, month by month. They reflect the seasonal change that happens, snow in the winter, the increasing light in the spring and the return of the migrant birds. The heady days of summer are over all too soon and as the year approaches autumn the tone of the poetry changes, the shadows in the photographs lengthen and the solstice beckons.
This time I’m wise to the faery trap
the tempting call of rainbow colours
enticing to enchant
an innocent child off the map
Not only is this book a thing of beauty, but I really liked this collection of poems and loved the black and white atmospheric photos too. The seasons are important to Corble, they determine the context that he is writing in and frame the words within each poem as he explores the deep connection to the place and landscape that he lives in. If you like books that are intimately connected to the landscape then find a copy of Stanza Stones by Simon Armitage, it is a beautiful combination of poetry and art embedded in the hills.
Three Favourite Poems
Snowman Remains
Arrivals
Immersion
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