A Writer's Britain: Landscape in Literature

by Margaret Drabble, Jorge Lewinski (Photographer)

Selections from England's great writers, describing various sites and scenes, are accompanied by commentary on how those writers have affected our tastes

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, British Literature, Books About Books, Literature, Literary Criticism, Writing

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 12, 1979

About the author

Dame Margaret Drabble was born in Sheffield in 1939 and was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is the author of eighteen novels including A Summer Bird-Cage, The Millstone, The Peppered Moth, The Red Queen, The Sea Lady and most recently, the highly acclaimed The Pure Gold Baby. She has also written biographies, screenplays and was the editor of the Oxford Companion to English Literature. She was appointed CBE in 1980, and made DBE in the 2008 Honours list. She was also awarded the 2011 Golden PEN Award for a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature. She is married to the biographer Michael Holroyd.

Drabble famously has a long-running feud with her novelist sister, A.S. Byatt. The pair seldom see each other, and each does not read the books of the other.

Reviews

[Maksym Popovych · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable summary of how British landscape has been treated in English literature. It might put off some readers by slightly too academic language here and there. I loved the quotes and poetry that showed how writers have changed their perception of the open country around them: from religious suspicion of the sublime landscape to picturesque adoration to romanticizing all things rural and finally to more nuanced, worried voices in the industrial age. The quotes from Orwell, Tolkien, Virginia Wolf, Henry James, Dickens, Sylvia Plath are well curated and very immersive. They transport you to different places and times.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graduation gift from my favorite honors English teacher; she thought I could be a writer. (I wish I'd had the same faith in myself.)

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read a review of this, probably in 2009 when it was re-published and added it, and another that implied it covered a similar ground, to my Amazon wishlist, intending to physically compare both when next in a bookshop. Before I did so, this was bought for me as a present, and is so far from my expectations that it has taken me until now to read it. The two stars are indication of my enjoyment rather than the worth of the book which, for someone wanting a history of how a selection of writers view the landscape, probably well fits the bill.

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an update from an earlier book. The book looks at the influence of landscape and place on writings by various British writers through the centuries. She includes many poems and prose which highlight what she is trying to say about their writing. I have read quite a few British writers over the years, but few of the classics. Because of that and not knowing where key places, I sometimes skimmed the book in parts, but other parts were beautifully laid out. I do have a strong interest in place so this book is a nice addition to exploring this theme.

[Mr John M. Akroyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The quality of the (extensive) quotes is so high that the slight lack of focus in the commentary isn't a huge issue.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dame Margaret Drabble, Lady Holroyd, an English critic and writer born in 1939, has authored seventeen novels which have garnered numerous prizes. A Writer’s Britain, presents images of that country as seen by writers of all periods and places in Britain, and focuses on how their lives have shaped their work and informed our attitudes and taste. The book also includes some fine photography by Jorge Lewinski.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide to countryside and literature of England and Scotland, poetry and prose. Describes in Drabble's words and in photographs the settings in which scores of poets and prose writers lived and work, not only the most famous but also regional voices. If you've always wondered what Tintern Abbey looks like, there's a color plate. The book goes everywhere except to John o' Groats.

[James Mcgowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a fascinating range of the British landscape as personified in British literature, including not only the traditional "rural" landscape, but also looking at the Industrial Revolution and urban landscapes as well!

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition US, signed by author; dj price-clipped