Literary acclaim for Arran author’s Lake District extract
An Arran author has had his work included in a new coffee table book.
In the new book, A String of Pearls – landscape and literature of the Lake District, compiled and edited by Margaret Wilson, Arran author Michael Wood has found himself sharing literary acclaim alongside famous authors such as William Wordsworth, Ian McEwan, Hugh Walpole, Beatrix Potter, Charles Dickens, Arthur Ransome and many others.
A lavishly illustrated book, it contains ‘the best literary extracts’ from 59 of the thousands of books written about the Lake District, starting from 1724 to the present day, and pairs them with 59 specially commissioned photographs of the stunning landscape.
In her preface, Margaret Wilson writes: ‘I hope that the extracts I selected, this collection of gems made into a string of pearls, matched with Helen Shaw’s stunning photographs, will delight those who know the area and inspire those who don’t to explore our beautiful Lake District, which Wordsworth called the loveliest spot that man hath found.’
In her research for the book, she did not limit her search for literary quality to those well-known writers and poets who tend to dominate similar anthologies.
She also spread her search among contemporary writers of all genres and unearthed some gems ‘hidden’ in the body of many modern books.
As expected, even here most of the contemporary extracts included are also written by well-known writers such as Ian McEwan, Melvyn Bragg, Bill Bryson and Hunter Davies. However, not all the contemporary authors in this book are household names. Among the lesser known writers is Michael Wood of Whiting Bay whose 2006 novel The Fell Walker provided Margaret with an extract which she described as ‘a great piece of descriptive writing’ when she contacted Michael to ask his permission to publish it in her book.
Michael said: ‘I was flattered and very surprised that she had chosen an extract from The Fell Walker because it is a plot-driven thriller.
‘However, when writing a thriller I always try to produce writing with a literary quality in those spaces in the narrative where it is appropriate, such as where a character or location needs to be described, or an observation made.
‘I have always been more interested in literary quality rather than plot, but like many others I write thrillers because they make more money. My favourite authors are all literary ones – Annie Prioux, John Updike and the like.’
Michael, who lived with partner Dorothy in Australia and the Lake District before retiring to Whiting Bay, had holidayed on Arran for many years. Scenes in the Scottish Highlands and on Arran feature in The Fell Walker and other novels.
‘When age lowers your horizons, what better place to retire to than Arran,’ he said. ‘Far from the madding crowd comes to mind. Beauty, space, peace – it’s all here.’
Three of Michael’s novels are still available on Amazon: The Fell Walker and the sequel The Fell Walker’s Legacy and Climate Change, an unusual, suspenseful, love story which starts on Arran and ends in Australia.
A String of Pearls – Landscape and Literature of the Lake District is published by Merlin Unwin and is available at all good book shops and on Amazon.