Stone Voices: The Search for Scotland - Hardcover

Ascherson, Neal

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0809084910 ISBN 13: 9780809084913

Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub, 2003

Synopsis

The rediscovery of Scotland’s past and a wake-up call about its future, from a leading scholar-journalist

Scotland has a new Parliament and it has North Sea oil, but is it yet an independent, self-sustaining democracy? Is it a true nation? In Stone Voices, Neal Ascherson launches what he calls an imaginative invasion of his native land, searching for the relationships, themes, and fantasies that make up “Scotland.”

Beginning with a breathtaking portrait of the country’s landscape, and of the way humanity has indelibly marked even its rockiest contours, Ascherson takes us on a journey through Scotland’s past, interweaving his historical accounts with a rollicking report on a back-country bus expedition he joined during the 1997 referendum campaign that led to Scotland’s first modern Parliament. He asked voters then what kind of country they hoped for, what they feared, and what they expected—questions that animate his book as well.

In his search for a nation, Acherson explores many themes: the slow, hybrid formation of the Scottish people over centuries of successive immigrations; the way their most renowned intellectuals and writers came to hate the national church; the peculiar nature of their diaspora; the coexistence of their search for an “authentic” Scotland with the myths others create; and the Scots’ proud sense of true independence. Stone Voices enlightens us about Scotland, about Europe, and about the conditions for freedom that we must all seek today.

About this title

Review:

'A colourful, colloquial and considered meditation on how history, landscape and culture have created the modern nation' -- The Big Issue

'A fascinating account of the history and current affairs of Scotland' -- Malcolm Rifkind, Prospect

'Acherson is a brilliant writer on Scottish affairs and his investigation of the national conciousness is both fascinating and original' -- Ian MacWhirter, Sunday Herald

‘A richly textured and most unusual meditation on Scotland...inspiring’ -- Andrew Marr, Observer Books of the Year

‘An intelligent and robust addition to the debate north of the border' -- Matthew Morgan, Observer

‘Ascherson is a brilliant writer on Scottish affairs and his investigation of the national consciousness is both fascinating and original.’ -- Iain MacWhirter, Sunday Herald

‘Ascherson is one of the most stylish and erudite journalists around’ -- James Campbell, Sunday Telegraph

‘Beautifully written...full of surprising revelations...and with a range of reference which is breathtaking in its scope.’ -- Magnus Linklater, Spectator

‘Provides a scholarly and poetic explanation of the emotional roots of Scottish nationalism’ -- Anthony Sampson, New Statesman Books of the Year

‘This journey through the mind and inclination of the Scots is an absorbing one, beautifully written...full of surprising revelations' -- Magnus Linklater, Spectator

About the Author:

Neal Ascherson writes for The Independent in London and The New York Review of Books. His books include Black Sea (H&W, 1995) and The Struggles for Poland. He lives in London.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hill & Wang Pub
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0809084910
• ISBN 13: 9780809084913
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 326