Saturday May 19 2012
Art & Literature Archive
Village Art & Literature
Housman’s homeland
Posted on March 18 2009 at 6:41:42 0 comments
Village Book Review: A Shropshire Lad by A E Housman
If you enjoyed the cover picture on our March issue, you’ll adore the book from which we reproduced it: a brand new edition of A E Housman’s A Shropshire Lad, launched to mark the 150th anniversary of the Bromsgrove-born poet’s birth.
As well as celebrating some of Housman’s most famous verses, this delightful book is illustrated throughout with photographs of his beloved Shropshire, taken by wildlife and landscape photographer Gareth B Thomas.
Ludlow-based Thomas, a former vet, is intimately familiar with the fauna and flora of the almost impossibly idyllic local countryside, and clearly has as much affection for Housman’s homeland as did the poet himself.
His imagery provides the perfect companion for Housman’s nostalgic and at times melancholic verse, in which his love for local places and people is tinged with the knowledge that all will one day be lost to him.
Thomas’ photos reveal exactly why the poet waxed so lyrical about the region, from the charming Ludlow church to the oft-quoted “blue remembered hills”.
Anyone already familiar with Housman’s work will enjoy the juxtaposition of words and pictures, while the book would also be an ideal introduction for those who have yet to discover him. SO
A Shropshire Lad is published by Merlin Unwin Books, priced £20. http://www.merlinunwin.co.uk
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