Just as we are drawn to the waves of the coastline and the stillness of woodlands, the lonely heights of distant mountains and the profound depths of caves pull us to them with magnetic allure. We draw some of our deepest philosophies following the old paths of pilgrimage, and immerse ourselves in the wetlands and fens. We uncover our pasts through bringing to the surface of the land what was buried and lost, and mine the earth for the materials with which we create beautiful sculptures that will outlast us all. The Spirit of Stone is a beautiful exploration of our relationships with the landscapes of Britain and Ireland, and the many ways we relate to the ground beneath our feet.
A natural progression from The Draw of The Sea, and The Heart of The Woods, The Spirit of Stone will close the circle on the first two books. We started the journey at the sea’s edge before travelling to the heart of the woods. Now, we will take readers on a journey through landscapes of rock, stone and earth. The stories in The Spirit of Stone will range from explorations of our relationships with towering mountains and womblike caves, to ancient pathways and stone circles, from the mysterious marks our ancestors made in stone, to the ones we continue to make today. As with the previous two books in the series, each essay will be part travelogue, part social history, incorporating interview, journal and memoir. Far from being static, this book will be full of movement and action. The essays will be accompanied by beautiful images of mountains, caves, stone circles, rock formations, and stunning sculptures.
The Spirit of Stone will build on the success of Robert Macfarlane’s Underland, Kathleen Jamie’s Surfacing, Peter Ross’ View from a Tomb, as well as the popularity of climbing documentaries such as Free Solo and The Dawn Wall. It will take the reader on a journey into landscapes we think we know well. However, it will differ from all these books and films, which explore single environments in detail, instead taking the reader on a journey through the many facets of stone and rock, reflecting deeply on the stories of those whose lives are influenced by the landscapes they traverse.
Burg, Mull
Fingals Cave, Staffa
St Columbas Bay, Iona
Fionnphort, Mull
Hill of Tara, Ireland
The Pennine Watershed
Marsden, West Yorkshire
Stoney Middleton, Derbyshire
Black Rocks, Matlock
White Peak, Peak District
Snowdonia
Central London
Kingston-upon-Thames
Rowhurst, Leatherhead, Surrey
Stonehenge, Wiltshire
Avebury, Wiltshire
Holt, Wiltshire
Mendips Hills
Ebbor Gorge, Somerset
Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
Charmouth, Dorset
Yar Tor, Dartmoor
Merrivale, Dartmoor
West Penwith, Cornwall
Chapel Down, St Martins, Isles of Scilly
Bants Carn, St Marys, Isles of Scilly
Wyl Menmuir is a novelist, editor and literary consultant based in Cornwall. He is the author of the Man-Booker nominated novel and Observer Best Fiction of the year pick,The Many, and Fox Fires. His short fiction has appeared in Best British Short Stories and he has been published by Nightjar Press, Kneehigh Theatre and the National Trust.
He has written for Radio 4s Open Book, The Guardian and The Observer, and is a regular contributor to the journal Elementum.
Born in Stockport in 1979, Wyl now lives in Cornwall with his wife and two children. He is co-creator of the Cornish writing centre, The Writers Block, and works with Arvon Foundation, National Literacy Trust and Centre for Literacy in Primary Education on national literacy programmes, as well as lecturer in creative writing at Falmouth University.
When he is not writing or teaching writing, Wyl enjoys messing around in boats.
