Swamp songs

£10.99

Twilit and sinister, oozing with ague, bad airs, boggarts and other spirits: in the mind’s eye marshes, bogs and swamps are dangerous, crepuscular – and only partly of this world. For centuries wetlands – and their inhabitants – have been the object of our distrust: we’ve drained away their demons, encroached upon and denuded them,…

Description

'Bracingly original' Kathryn Hughes, Guardian

'A mixture of travelogue, local history and reportage, Swamp Songs brims with evocative word sketches' Times Literary Supplement

From Romney Marsh to the Danube Delta, from Cyprus to the bayous of Louisiana and on to the Bay of Bengal, Tom Blass crosses swamps, marshes and wetlands to meet the people who have made these in-between worlds their homes.

Here are true stories and myths of smugglers and runaway slaves, of fishermen, shepherds and salt-gatherers – and of tiger gods, flamingos and floods. A dazzling exploration of the precarious lives led where land and water tussle, Swamp Songs is a vital reappraisal and vibrant celebration of people and environments closely intertwined.

Additional information

Weight 264 g
Dimensions 19.6 × 12.8 × 2.4 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

336

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

304.209169 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K