Swallows, Amazons and the need for escapism
From Northwest News and Features
The world of the Swallows and Amazons, so permanently close to the hearts and the cartography of those in the Lake District, is likely to come under further scrutiny this year, the 50th anniversary of the death of Arthur Ransome, master storyteller.
We’ve seen two film versions and a stage musical, but return time and again to the treasure islanded in the stories, set both in the Lakes and – with the young heroes of the Coot Club and their friends – in the Norfolk Broads.
Now comes the first critical book devoted wholly to the series of stories, a scholarly work in which enthusiast Julian Lovelock delves beyond the narratives and the landscapes to examine the text and the context of Ransome’s work…