Welcome to On Our Reading Radar - our monthly live discussion thread which is our chance to share:
Anything we’d recommend on the theme of US AND THE LAND
Anything we’ve loved reading / watching / listening to over February
Joining us is Ashley Olsen from The Willa Cather Foundation, ready to share some of the foundation’s expertise about Willa Cather, her writing about the land, other books about the Prairies and our relationship with the land more generally. I’ve got a few questions for Ashley up my sleeve; please do join in with your own.
The live typing event takes place TODAY, NOW at 1.30-2pm GMT, but if the time doesn’t work for you, you can catch up with the discussion and add your contribution at a later date.
As an added bonus this month, I’m delighted to have 5 advance proof copies of Weathering by Ruth Allen, thanks to Ebury Press, to give away. It ties in perfectly with this month’s theme, showing how we can learn from the land about how to weather the storms that life throws our way. To be in with a chance to win one simply leave a comment on the thread. (Winners will be notified by email.)
So, tell me your tips for great books that explore our relationship with the land!
An excellent book I've read recently about our relationship with the land is On Gallows Down by Nicola Chester. Her deep affection for the area she lives in and her knowledge of the land, and its wildlife, make this a really powerful book. It's also a good demonstration of how you can develop ties to the land without needing to own it.
I hadn’t read any Willa Cather before and v much enjoyed My Antonia, although wondered initially if I was going to stick with it. I agree with much that has been written on here already about those wonderful descriptions of the rugged sweeping landscape. I was also interested in how Cather viewed ‘success’ in life and whether staying close to the land was a key part of that for her. Lena and Jim both moved away, made more money and remained childless, by choice in Lena’s case of course. In contrast Antonia stayed on the land, had many children and appeared happy and fulfilled. What was Cather’s attitude towards those who left the land to pursue commercial success?
Sorry I didn’t make it on time. Just wanted to recommend another book with a living on/off the land theme which I very much enjoyed recently. Amazing descriptions of scenery, nature, crops, hardships of farming between the two WWs - it’s set in 1933/34 but there’s a lot backstory.
All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison
I much preferred this book to My Antonia although I very much enjoyed the discussions walking in Regent’s Park.
I want to end by offering up another passage from Cather about the landscape. Her descriptions of the southwest are really evocative. If you’d like a taste of something that describes landscapes beyond Nebraska, this is a favorite passage from Death Comes for the Archbishop:
“The sky was as full of motion and change as the desert beneath it was monotonous and still,— and there was so much sky, more than at sea, more than anywhere else in the world. The plain was there, under one's feet, but what one saw when one looked about was that brilliant blue world of stinging air and moving cloud. Even the mountains were mere ant-hills under it. Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky. The landscape one longed for when one was far away, the thing all about one, the world one actually lived in, was the sky, the sky!”
Ashley and Catherine - how about over at the Willa Cather Foundation. What have you all been enjoying watching / reading over february? We won't think badly of you if it isn't 100% Cather!
I recommend Dear Octopus at the National Theatre by Dodie Smith (https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/dear-octopus-review-national-theatre) and am looking forward to seeing the West End transfer of Standing at the Sky's Edge tonight. Am currently reading an excellent and very readable non-fiction book called Shakespeare Sisters: Four Women who Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff (not my usual time period).
On iplayer is a 1961 version of Anna Karenina with Claire Bloom in the title role and Sean Connery as Voronsky. Alongside it is a recent short intro from Claire Bloom remembering particularly how handsome Connery was!
As mentioned above, I have 5 proof copies of Ruth's book (see below - I didn't realise she'd be joining us!!) - to give away to participants. I'll email you to let you know if you're a lucky winner.
Eeeep! This is a rather glorious discovery. I just wanted to say I hope you and your winners enjoy my book ( and excuse the typos in the proof!) 🤣🤭 I look forward to hearing how you find it :)
I interviewed Alan Garner recently and his books are so entrenched in the landscape of Alderley Edge. I loved reading them and meeting him. Such a special experience.
Not a book or related to Nebraska but I'd strongly recommend The Taste of Things with Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel. It's a wonderful film especially if you like food and cooking - and mature love. The opening scenes where the vegetables are harvested are particularly enticing.
You might enjoy the farm writings of Louis Bromfield (December 27, 1896 – March 18, 1956) who was an American writer and conservationist. “A bestselling novelist in the 1920s, he reinvented himself as a farmer in the late 1930s and became one of the earliest proponents of sustainable and organic agriculture in the United States. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1927 for Early Autumn, founded the experimental Malabar Farm near Mansfield, Ohio, and played an important role in the early environmental movement.” He was a contemporary of Cather’s, but I don’t know that they interacted; however, he was a friend of Edith Wharton, and they shared gardening tips!
Ashley, do you know if Laura Ingalls Wilder was influenced by Cather? I think she was actually older than Cather but didn't start writing until later in life. Emily, I think The Long Winter would make a great December pick! (I think it stands alone and isn't 'just' a children's book)
Hello all was thinking that there is something reassuring about My Antonia despite the ups and downs of the story. There is a link and contrast with So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell which Samantha mentioned on Sunday's walk. Worth exploring the contrasts with Akenfield and A Fortunate Man as well? One thing that struck me is how the class differences are more evident in the UK books - but maybe that's because we understand them better?
Another powerful if more brutal book about the settler story, this time in Texas, which I read about ten years ago, is Philipp Meyer's The Son. It has a lot to say about the bloody relationships between the settlers, Native Americans and Mexicans.
Ashley - Do you know if Willa Cather had any favourite books (not by her) that are about the Nebraskan land? And did she love any writers who engaged with landscape more generally?
One of the elements in My Antonia that really stood out to us is the beautiful way Cather conjures the landscape of Nebraska – this is what has inspired the theme for this month’s discussion thread US AND THE LAND.
Ashely - you’re based in Nebraska; how has the landscape there changed (or not) since Cather’s time? Other than the foundation (of course!), do you have any other tips for places to visit in Nebraska?
As we all know the February 2024 pick for Emily’s Walking Book Club is Willa Cather’s dearly loved My Antonia. For many of us, it is our first Cather.
I’m intrigued @ashley: do you think this is the book that most people read first, even though it’s the third of her trilogy? Was it your first Cather? Is it especially popular in the Cather canon?
While we are waiting for others to join, Ashley: please could you share a little bit about The Willa Cather Foundation - where you are, when you were founded and what you set out to do?
Anyone who is late to this thread, please feel free to post your comment anytime. We are after tips on:
Books that explore the relationship between Us and The Land
Anything else you enjoyed over February
Thanks!
Hello everyone! Can’t wait for the London literature discussion later this week
Reading again the wonderful Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit. So much in there about us, the land, and the blue of distance.
An excellent book I've read recently about our relationship with the land is On Gallows Down by Nicola Chester. Her deep affection for the area she lives in and her knowledge of the land, and its wildlife, make this a really powerful book. It's also a good demonstration of how you can develop ties to the land without needing to own it.
I hadn’t read any Willa Cather before and v much enjoyed My Antonia, although wondered initially if I was going to stick with it. I agree with much that has been written on here already about those wonderful descriptions of the rugged sweeping landscape. I was also interested in how Cather viewed ‘success’ in life and whether staying close to the land was a key part of that for her. Lena and Jim both moved away, made more money and remained childless, by choice in Lena’s case of course. In contrast Antonia stayed on the land, had many children and appeared happy and fulfilled. What was Cather’s attitude towards those who left the land to pursue commercial success?
One of my favorite books that explores our relationship with the land is Braiding Sweetgrass, which is probably mentioned all the time here.
I enjoyed re-reading My Antonia very much.
I am currently reading Wintering by Katherine May and appreciate the many references to the land and the cycles of the seasons.
Another book I love about early settlers in Canada :
Steff Penney The Tenderness of Wolves.
Sorry I didn’t make it on time. Just wanted to recommend another book with a living on/off the land theme which I very much enjoyed recently. Amazing descriptions of scenery, nature, crops, hardships of farming between the two WWs - it’s set in 1933/34 but there’s a lot backstory.
All Among the Barley by Melissa Harrison
I much preferred this book to My Antonia although I very much enjoyed the discussions walking in Regent’s Park.
I want to end by offering up another passage from Cather about the landscape. Her descriptions of the southwest are really evocative. If you’d like a taste of something that describes landscapes beyond Nebraska, this is a favorite passage from Death Comes for the Archbishop:
“The sky was as full of motion and change as the desert beneath it was monotonous and still,— and there was so much sky, more than at sea, more than anywhere else in the world. The plain was there, under one's feet, but what one saw when one looked about was that brilliant blue world of stinging air and moving cloud. Even the mountains were mere ant-hills under it. Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky. The landscape one longed for when one was far away, the thing all about one, the world one actually lived in, was the sky, the sky!”
Goodbye for now!
Thank you also to:
Julia
Michael
Sarah
Sarah Bedford
Samantha
Ruth
Beata
Susan
for joining the discussion
Speaking of the Nebraska Prairie, you might enjoy this recent article from a Nebraska writer about its ecosystem, with many Cather references: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/07/opinion/prairie-great-plains-trees.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
Ashley and Catherine - I hope you get to go back to bed for a bit now!
Thank you so much for joining us from the Willa Cather Foundation - what a joy to have your expertise.
2pm has struck
Ashley and Catherine - how about over at the Willa Cather Foundation. What have you all been enjoying watching / reading over february? We won't think badly of you if it isn't 100% Cather!
I recommend Dear Octopus at the National Theatre by Dodie Smith (https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/dear-octopus-review-national-theatre) and am looking forward to seeing the West End transfer of Standing at the Sky's Edge tonight. Am currently reading an excellent and very readable non-fiction book called Shakespeare Sisters: Four Women who Wrote the Renaissance by Ramie Targoff (not my usual time period).
We officially have 2 more minutes!
On iplayer is a 1961 version of Anna Karenina with Claire Bloom in the title role and Sean Connery as Voronsky. Alongside it is a recent short intro from Claire Bloom remembering particularly how handsome Connery was!
As mentioned above, I have 5 proof copies of Ruth's book (see below - I didn't realise she'd be joining us!!) - to give away to participants. I'll email you to let you know if you're a lucky winner.
I've read two excellent new books for review:
Wrong Norma by Anne Carson - she's a genius
Barcelona by Mary Costello - beautiful short stories.
Eeeep! This is a rather glorious discovery. I just wanted to say I hope you and your winners enjoy my book ( and excuse the typos in the proof!) 🤣🤭 I look forward to hearing how you find it :)
I interviewed Alan Garner recently and his books are so entrenched in the landscape of Alderley Edge. I loved reading them and meeting him. Such a special experience.
Here is the interview: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-wit-and-wonder-of-alan-garner/
I also enjoyed watching The Wilderness by Simon Reeves.
I've been to see two excellent things:
My Neighbour Totoro at the Barbican
Nelken by Pina Bausch, performed by the German Tanzanztheater Wuppertal at Saddler’s Wells
Both very hyped - both absolutely stood up to it!
This is also a space to share recommendations for anything else you've enjoyed over February. Please do share!
Not a book or related to Nebraska but I'd strongly recommend The Taste of Things with Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel. It's a wonderful film especially if you like food and cooking - and mature love. The opening scenes where the vegetables are harvested are particularly enticing.
You might enjoy the farm writings of Louis Bromfield (December 27, 1896 – March 18, 1956) who was an American writer and conservationist. “A bestselling novelist in the 1920s, he reinvented himself as a farmer in the late 1930s and became one of the earliest proponents of sustainable and organic agriculture in the United States. He won the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1927 for Early Autumn, founded the experimental Malabar Farm near Mansfield, Ohio, and played an important role in the early environmental movement.” He was a contemporary of Cather’s, but I don’t know that they interacted; however, he was a friend of Edith Wharton, and they shared gardening tips!
Ashley, do you know if Laura Ingalls Wilder was influenced by Cather? I think she was actually older than Cather but didn't start writing until later in life. Emily, I think The Long Winter would make a great December pick! (I think it stands alone and isn't 'just' a children's book)
Ashley: are there any books that you or others at the Willa Cather foundation love that explore are relationship with the land?
About the British land, many people have recommended A Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks to me
Could anyone - including Ashley - recommend any books not by Cather or Wilder that are about the land of Nebraska? Any that are more recent?
Some of our previous picks that also engage with the land - in addition to those mentioned by Michael below are:
The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd
Mountains of the Mind by Robert Macfarlane
Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell
All WONDERFUL books.
Yes, it’s my first Cather book and never been to the Prairie.
Hello all was thinking that there is something reassuring about My Antonia despite the ups and downs of the story. There is a link and contrast with So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell which Samantha mentioned on Sunday's walk. Worth exploring the contrasts with Akenfield and A Fortunate Man as well? One thing that struck me is how the class differences are more evident in the UK books - but maybe that's because we understand them better?
Another powerful if more brutal book about the settler story, this time in Texas, which I read about ten years ago, is Philipp Meyer's The Son. It has a lot to say about the bloody relationships between the settlers, Native Americans and Mexicans.
And of course I would love to know everyone's tips on books that engage with us and the land! Please share!
Ashley - Do you know if Willa Cather had any favourite books (not by her) that are about the Nebraskan land? And did she love any writers who engaged with landscape more generally?
One of the elements in My Antonia that really stood out to us is the beautiful way Cather conjures the landscape of Nebraska – this is what has inspired the theme for this month’s discussion thread US AND THE LAND.
Ashely - you’re based in Nebraska; how has the landscape there changed (or not) since Cather’s time? Other than the foundation (of course!), do you have any other tips for places to visit in Nebraska?
It’s also St David’s Day, st David also worked the land without using any animals, apparently.
Hi everyone, my first time here..
As we all know the February 2024 pick for Emily’s Walking Book Club is Willa Cather’s dearly loved My Antonia. For many of us, it is our first Cather.
I’m intrigued @ashley: do you think this is the book that most people read first, even though it’s the third of her trilogy? Was it your first Cather? Is it especially popular in the Cather canon?
Hi everyone
Hello, good to be able to join you!
While we are waiting for others to join, Ashley: please could you share a little bit about The Willa Cather Foundation - where you are, when you were founded and what you set out to do?
Good morning!
Please feel free to introduce yourself to the group and say hello when you get here
Hello everyone, welcome to our February live discussion thread!