Register here - as a registered user you get more features and fewer ads.
Four years ago I moved back to Britain after living abroad in some of the most stunning places imaginable - and I felt utterly depressed at the prospect. At that time I was part of a team asked by the National Trust to look at the gardens at West Wycombe Park. The sexuality implied in the Venus Mound was unmistakeable and it reminded me strongly of other, much older sites. The idea for Landscapes and Desire was conceived in front of that mound - not in some publishers' board room. The 'blame' for that lies entirely with me. Our subsequent journey around the British Isles led us to some mind-blowingly gorgeous scenery that I had no idea existed in this part of the world. The book is, in part, the result of me falling back in love with the natural landscapes of my own country - as well as exploring some its incredible monuments. Anthony speaks of disappointment. What I, personally, find disappointing is not someone's genuine excitement and enthusiasm for this wonderful landscape of ours, but the poisonous culture of cynicism that exists within it. I regret that we could not include Ireland in the title whilst at the same time being drawn to a couple of its unmissable sites. I regret that the book did not come out in the middle of summer as planned and I regret not being able to include more of Alun's beautiful photographs. Anthony is obviously familiar with the constraints placed upon writers by their publishers. But I will not apologise for an honest (and hard-grafted) attempt to share that journey with people who may never have heard of the Isle of Lewis let alone its awe-inspiring stones. Perhaps there are others who find this cynical culture that we seem to have grown to accept - even expect - wearisome. Readers will have to judge for themselves.
Cathy Tuck
Author of Landscapes and Desire
Something is not right. This message is just to keep things from messing up down the road