The Country Formerly Known as Great Britain - Couverture rigide

Jack, Ian

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0224087355 ISBN 13 : 9780224087353

Editeur : Jonathan Cape, 2009

Synopsis

The Country Formerly Known as Great Britain Takes us to a place of which there are only memories and ruins: the Great Britain that gave us the Industrial Revolution, a nation that led the world in feats of engineering, a Britain of empire, a place of vital cities, each with their own identity, a country whose residual presence can still be found in the strangest corners of the world. Full description

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

In this selection from over twenty years of reporting and writing, Ian Jack takes us to a place of which there are now only memories and ruins: the Great Britain that gave us the Industrial Revolution, a nation that led the world in feats of engineering, a Britain of empire, a place of vital cities, each with their own unique identity, a country whose residual presence can still be found in the strangest corners of the world.

These pieces set out to deal with contemporary Britain - national disasters, football matches, obesity, 'chavs' - but are drawn back in time, vexed by the question of what came before. In 'Women and Children First', watching the film Titanic leads to an investigation into the legend of Wallace Henry Hartley, the famous band leader of the doomed liner, and a journey into the Lancashire mill towns of the early twentieth century; 'The 12.10 to Leeds', a magnificent report on the Hatfield rail crash, begins its hunt for clues in the eighteenth century in the search for those responsible. We travel further afield, finding vestiges of a vanished Britain in the Indian Subcontinent. Here we meet characters like the maverick English missionary, scientist and linguist William Carey, credited with importing India's first steam engine, or Mr Goonawardene, a wise lunatic who spends his days at Colombo railway station - men whose stories are only possible because of the British empire. And then there is the incredible history of McCluskiegunge, the still-inhabited Anglo-Indian enclave whose founder envisaged an independent homeland for the mixed-race people of the empire.

This wonderful collection brings together Ian Jack's most important and brilliant pieces. Full of the style, knowledge and intimacy that make his work so special, they are the perfect introduction to the work of one of the country's finest writers.

Quatrième de couverture :

'Jack's eye for precise detail, his curiosity and his luminous intelligence shine through every piece. His is a kind of a writing we are lucky to still have around' Jackie Kay, Scotsman

'Elegiac rather than nostalgic... At the heart of the book are three magnificent essays' The Economist

In this selection from over twenty years of reporting and writing, Ian Jack sets out to deal with contemporary Britain - from national disasters to football matches to obesity - but is always drawn back in time, vexed by the question of what came first. In 'Women and Children First', watching the film Titanic leads into an investigation into the legend of Wallace Henry Hartley, the famous band leader of the doomed liner, while 'The 12.10 to Leeds', a magnificent report on the Hatfield rail crash, begins its hunt for clues in the eighteenth century in the search for those responsible. Further afield, he finds vestiges of a vanished Britain in the Indian subcontinent, meeting characters like maverick English missionary and linguist William Carey, credited with importing India's first steam engine.

'Wonderful... Jack is a superb and diverse writer, with a mind and eyes and a nose for virtually everything... He's smart, proportionate, discerning and (rarest of rarities) decent. To me, this book is indispensable' Richard Ford, Guardian Books of the Year

'Superbly evocative' Rachel Cooke, Observer

'Masterly...Jack has the rare ability to tease out larger insights from seemingly obscure places and people' Times of India Crest Edition

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Jonathan Cape
• Date d'édition: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0224087355
• ISBN 13: 9780224087353
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 352