James Rebanks Boeken

As a boy, James Rebanks's grandfather taught him to work the land the old way. Their family farm in the Lake District hills was part of an ancient landscape- a patchwork of crops and meadows, of pastures grazed with livestock, and hedgerows teeming with wildlife. And yet, by the time James inherited the farm, it was barely recognisable. The men and women had vanished from the fields; the old stone barns had crumbled; the skies had emptied of birds and their wind-blown song. English Pastoral is the story of an inheritance- one that affects us all. It tells of how rural landscapes around the world were brought close to collapse, and the age-old rhythms of work, weather, community and wild things were lost. And yet this elegy from the Lake District fells is also a song of hope- how, guided by the past, one farmer began to salvage a tiny corner of England that was now his, doing his best to restore the life that had vanished and to leave a legacy for the future. This is a book about what it means to have love and pride in a place, and how, against all the odds, it may still be possible to build a new pastoral- not a utopia, but somewhere decent for us all.

From James Rebanks, the Herdwick Shepherd, comes a story that could redefine rural literature, centered on the Lake District and its people. Unlike many, Rebanks' life is not a personal creation; he is the first son of a shepherd, following a lineage that has thrived in this region for generations. Their existence is intricately tied to the seasons and the labor they entail, a rhythm unchanged for centuries. The work—sending sheep to the fells in summer, making hay, autumn fairs for flock replenishment, and the grueling winter toil—echoes practices that a Viking would recognize. Rebanks' modern reflections from this ancient landscape reveal a profound attachment to place, showcasing a way of life that often goes unnoticed yet has significantly shaped the environment. Through evocative prose, he guides readers through a shepherd's year, offering a unique perspective on rural life and a connection to the land that many have lost. This narrative is not just about work; it encompasses the people around him, his childhood, and the enduring presence of his family, who have farmed the same land for over six hundred years. While many stories focus on leaving a place, this is a tale of someone striving to stay.

Esejisticko-fotografická kniha Jamesa Rebanksa ponúka pohľad moderného človeka a súčasného oka digitálnej fotografie na tradičný a archaický svet chovu oviec. Britský autor James Rebanks pochádza z rodiny, ktorá sa na anglickom vidieku venuje ovčiarstvu už takmer 600 rokov. Ako popularizátor tradičného chovu oviec začal prispievať na Twitter, kde si vytvoril silnú skupinu fanúšikov, ktorých toto remeslo a s ním spojený spôsob života mimoriadne zaujali. Ako sám tvrdí, do napísania tejto knihy ho dotlačili práve oni. James Rebanks vo svojej eseji Pohľad pastiera otvára večnú otázku vzťahu človeka a prírody v úchvatnej scenérii anglického vidieka oblasti Lake District, ktorá bola v roku 2017 zapísaná na zoznam svetového dedičstva UNESCO.