At the Bright Hem of God: Radnorshire Pastoral

Based on the author’s visit in 1965, this unique volume is written as a love letter to the mid-Wales county of Radnorshire. Within its autobiographical frame, this account covers the history and religious life of the area as reflected through its local writers and its adjacent townships, from 1176 to the present day. Exploring this fascinating location in detail, this investigation depicts its rural landscape as remote, wild, and renowned for shaping the lives of its inhabitants. Selecting key moments in its history—from the Middle Ages to the 21st century—this examination reviews the responses of writers as varied as Thomas Traherne, Bruce Chatwin, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. The result is a unique portrait of the county—what it is like to have lived there and to live there still—that captures the essence of a hidden part of Wales and Britain. Within this intriguing narrative, the various landscapes of borders—physical, emotional, and intellectual—from the author’s own particular racial, religious, and spiritual identity are analyzed, forming a complementary exploration of the human condition.