We are delighted to have author Oliver Smith join us to talk about On This Holy Island (Bloomsbury Continuum 2024).
He will talk about making a series of epic adventures across sacred British landscapes – climbing into remote sea caves, sleeping inside Neolithic tombs, scaling forgotten holy mountains and once marooning himself at sea. Following holy roads to churches, cathedrals and standing stones, his evocative and enlightening travelogue explores places prehistoric, pagan and Christian, but also reveals how football stadiums and music festivals have become contemporary places of pilgrimage.
The routes walked are often ancient, the pilgrims he meets are always modern. But underpinning his book is a timeless truth: that making journeys has always been a way of making meaning.
Praise for On This Holy Island…
“An excellent travelogue… the book is immensely well-researched and playful. Smith has written something special.”The Times
“There has been a post pandemic rash of writers rushing hither and thither across Britain for book material, but this is one of the most imaginative and engaging.” Country Life
“Post-pandemic, it makes even more sense to look locally before setting off for Rome, Jerusalem or Santiago de Compostela. On This Holy Island shows us just where to start.” The Spectator
“Smith is one of the best and most thoughtful travel writers working today.” Cal Flyn
Walking Writers Salons are hour-long events in which you will get to meet a Walking Writer and learn from them how they weave writing and walking, and how they interpret their surroundings. Each Salon will include a discussion with the author led by Andrew Stuck, inviting questions from the audience, and includes a multiple choice quiz in which winners will receive prizes kindly donated by Bloomsbury Continuum – 2 copies of e-book editions of “On This Holy Island”.
| Video recording of this Walking Writers' Salon with Oliver Smith |
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On This Holy Island: A modern pilgrimage across Britain
Oliver Smith embarks on an epic adventure across sacred British landscapes – climbing into remote sea caves, sleeping inside Neolithic tombs, scaling forgotten holy mountains and once marooning himself at sea. Following holy roads to churches, cathedrals and standing stones, this evocative and enlightening travelogue explores places prehistoric, pagan and Christian, but also reveals how
Following the footsteps of pilgrims with Oliver Smith
Author Oliver Smith is a guest on a Walking Writers’ Salon introduced by Andrew Stuck. Oliver talks about On This Holy Island (Bloomsbury Continuum 2024), about making a series of epic adventures across sacred British landscapes – climbing into remote sea caves, sleeping inside Neolithic tombs, scaling forgotten holy mountains and once marooning himself at