The Dark Stuff: Stories from the Peatlands
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People living on the edge or in the midst of moorland have interacted with their environment for centuries, utilising its resources and drawing upon its unique features to provide shape and meaning for their lives. Donald S. Murrays new book is an examination of the moorland, ranging from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and even Australia. Donald explores moorland in all its different guises and roles, considering its scientific, aesthetic and preservative qualities, reflecting on how for centuries humans have represented it in literature, art and folk tales, and revealing both its industrial heritage and how we still use and abuse it today. In particular, Donald examines the politics of ownership and the way Europes moorlands have been employed for punitive purposes and in rebellions against the authority of the state.
An evocative social history of Europe’s peatlands, moors, bogs and heaths.Donald S. Murray spent much of his childhood either playing or working on the moor, chasing sheep across empty acres and cutting and gathering peat for fuel. The Dark Stuff is an examination of how this landscape affected him and others. Donald explores his early life on the Isle of Lewis together with the experiences of those who lived near moors much further afield, from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and even Australia. Examining this environment in all its roles and guises, Donald reflects on the ways that for centuries humans have represented the moor in literature, art and folktale, and he reveals how in some countries, these habitats remain an essential aspect of their industrial heritage and working life today. On his journey, Donald confronts the unexpected – how Europe’s peatlands are part of the dark heart of that continent, playing a crucial role in the history of crime and punishment in several countries. He also examines our current perception of moorland, asking how – for the sake, perhaps, of our planet’s survival – we can learn to love a landscape we have all too often in our history denigrated, feared and despised.
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