intrinsic elements

The latest Granta on 'The New Nature Writing' (not yet online) has pieces by Richard Mabey, Robert Macfarlane, Kathleen Jamie, Seamus Heaney, Jonathan Raban and others. In his intro, Granta editor Jason Cowley, quotes the short-story writer Lydia Peelle, who's making her first Granta appearance in this issue:

'The new nature writing,' she told me, 'rather than being pastoral or descriptive or simply a natural history essay, has got to be couched in stories - whether fiction or non-fiction - where we as humans are present. Not only as observers, but as intrinsic elements. I feel this is important, because we've got to reconnect ourselves to our environment and fellow species in every way we can, every chance we have. In my thinking, it is the tradition of the false notion of separation that has caused us so many problems and led to so much environmental degradation. I believe that it is our great challenge in the 21st century to remake the connection. I think our lives depend on it.'

See our last round-up of the new nature-writers here and our interview with Richard Mabey here.