WINNER OF THE 2024 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE WINNER OF THE 2023 RICHARD JEFFERIES AWARD FOR NATURE WRITING
'Inspirational' - THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 'A bright, fierce hope for the future' -THE IRISH TIMES 'An astonishing read' - AMY LIPTROT 'Irresistible' - SARA BAUME 'Will leave you aching with world-love' - ABI ANDREWS 'Simply mesmerising' - JESSICA J. LEE 'A tender, marvellous book' - NICK HUNT
This is a book about falling in love with vanishing things
Late Light is the story of Michael Malay's own journey, an Indonesian Australian making a home for himself in England and finding strange parallels between his life and the lives of the animals he examines. Mixing natural history with memoir, this book explores the mystery of our animal neighbours, in all their richness and variety. It is about the wonder these animals inspired in our ancestors, the hope they inspire in us, and the joy they might still hold for our children.
Late Light is about migration, belonging and extinction. Through the close examination of four particular 'unloved' animals - eels, moths, crickets and mussels - Michael Malay tells the story of the economic, political and cultural events that have shaped the modern landscape of Britain.
For readers of Robert Macfarlane, Raynor Winn and Helen Macdonald, Late Light is a rich blend of memoir, natural history, nature writing, and a meditation on being and belonging, from a vibrant new voice.
272 pages
9781786581419
Details
06 July 2023
272 pages
9781786581419
Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
“'Late Light brings the refreshing perspective of someone who goes from seeing England as a foreign place to someone who deeply studies its secret wonders. An astonishing read.'”Amy Liptrot, author of THE OUTRUN
“'Late Light is a book that glows with warmth in spite of its dark subtext. Malay's prose is gorgeous and astute; he looks with fresh eyes at unpopular species and finds poetry and meaning. His voice is irresistible - Late Light is a powerful new work of nature writing.'”Sara Baume, author of SEVEN STEEPLES
“'Malay writes prose of gorgeous balance, shifting between the patience of his observations of nature and a controlled examination of the politics and histories that affect landscapes. His voice is fresh, passionate, and beautifully attuned to the layers of enchantment and melancholy that emerge from the living world in today's challenging times.'”Melanie Challenger, author of ON EXTINCTION
“'Late Light is a book of little revelations. It approaches small things with a quiet and tender profundity, and its attentiveness to the quivering of life will leave you aching with world-love.'”Abi Andrews, author of THE WORD FOR WOMAN IS WILDERNESS
