A Writer's Britain

“Deserves to become a classic. . . . It greatly enriches one’s sense of the British countryside to see it this way, through the eyes of poets and novelists down the centuries.”―Christian Science Monitor

The love of place is endemic in English literature, from the work of the earliest poets and hermits to the suburban celebrations of John Betjeman. Here, the renowned author Margaret Drabble presents an image of Britain as seen by writers of different regions and periods, illuminating the ways in which their work has shaped our visual attitudes, taste in landscape, and relation to nature.

For this new edition of her engaging study, Ms. Drabble has made corrections and updates to the text throughout and written a new epilogue.