In search of a homeland
A personal story of myth, memory, Scotland and the longing for community.
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John Burnside
John Burnside (1955-2024) was a prize-winning poet, critic and novelist, and the New Statesman’s nature columnist.
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Antarctica’s penguins may yet be safe from bird flu, but other threats remain
If the birds are lost, it will be due to commercial over-fishing and our failure to take simple steps…
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Herbs and flowers flourish in my hilltop garden, except where I want them
My lack of success growing mint and thyme is embarrassing, but I take solace in the plant world’s mysteries…
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The bird that wasn’t there
Soon after the Bay thrush was discovered in 1774, it was lost. But we can no longer blame ignorance…
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The calm of the sleeper train
Also this week: Samuel Beckett’s advice, and the mysteries of time and loss.
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Michael Bracewell’s anatomy of English nostalgia
In Unfinished Business one of our finest cultural critics returns to fiction with a meditation on memory and national…
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Who the green movement leaves behind
We should be learning from indigenous people such as the Sámi. Instead, in the rush to embrace green energy,…
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The NS Poem: A brief note on the interregnum
A new poem by John Burnside.
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The NS Poem: Variations on “Auld Lang Syne”
A new poem by John Burnside.
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