30. Ed Parnell. Ghostland ~ In Search of a Haunted Country

The power of place, our fascination with what is not human . . . these have been cornerstones of Beneath the Stream since we began. But so too is the power of the human mind, our perceptions, our telling of stories and perhaps, most of all, the telling of stories to ourselves through culture and memory and the tricks and truths we encounter.

The work of author Ed Parnell is a powerful illustration of all of the above. His acclaimed book Ghostland has been described as “Parnell’s moving exploration of what has haunted our writers and artists – and what is haunting him. It is a unique and elegiac meditation on grief, memory and longing, and of the redemptive power of stories and nature.” Ghostland was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley 2020 Award for memoir.

Speaking in the book of his memories he says, “All of it was real, I think”.

Ed Parnell’s website https://edwardparnell.com 

 

INTRODUCTORY AND INCIDENTAL MUSIC: Colin Williams singing ‘Breaths’ by Sweet Honey in the Rock

Some of the ideas and references we make in this podcast can be found here:

M R James https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._R._James 
Algernon Blackwood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algernon_Blackwood 
Stonehenge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge 
Garth Marenghi's Darkplace https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Marenghi%27s_Darkplace 
Boston, Lincs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston,_Lincolnshire 
Holbeach Marsh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holbeach_Marsh 
New York - Lou Reed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_(album) 
Fata Morgana https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(mirage) 
Pilgrim Hospital https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Hospital 
Illustrated London News https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illustrated_London_News 
The Willows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Willows_(story) 
The Danube https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube 
Lakenheath Fen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakenheath_Fen_RSPB_reserve 
Golden Oriole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_golden_oriole 
Arthur Machen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Machen 
Alan Garner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Garner 
Weirdstone of Brisingamen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weirdstone_of_Brisingamen 
The Moon of Gomrath https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_of_Gomrath 
Hemmingford Grey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemingford_Grey 
Robert Lloyd-Parry http://www.nunkie.co.uk 
Waterland, Graham Swift https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterland_(novel) 
The Wash https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wash 
Jodrell Bank https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodrell_Bank_Observatory 
E F Benson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._F._Benson 
Borth https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borth 
William Hope Hodgson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hope_Hodgson 
Folk Horror https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_horror 
The House on the Borderland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_on_the_Borderland 
The Blood on Satan’s Claw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blood_on_Satan%27s_Claw 
The Wicker Man https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man 
Witchfinder General https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_(film) 
Psychogeography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychogeography 
The Blair Witch Project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project 
Lapwing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_lapwing 
Bella Lugosi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bela_Lugosi 
An American Werewolf in London https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_American_Werewolf_in_London 
Tolkien https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien 
Harry Potter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter 
The X-files https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X-Files 
Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%27Oh,_Whistle,_and_I%27ll_Come_to_You,_My_Lad%27 
Watership Down https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down