A journey through the seasons of the Peak. Poems and photography by Simon Corble.
Paperback. 210 pages.
Excerpt from the Introduction: "White Light White Peak is a year-long journey of my encounters, through a very special landscape. It is the pale, Carboniferous limestone of the southern half of the Peak District which gives us the name, White Peak. Formed around three hundred million years ago in a tropical ocean, it makes up the bulk of the high plateau on which sit our scattering of small villages, some nestled into the shelter of the Derbyshire Dales. The dales themselves were carved over mere millennia by huge quantities of melt-water, as the last Ice Age came to a close. In these halfhidden gorges, the rock can be seen in our most dramatic features, towering crags, caves and fissures, creating dark impressions in the vertical limestone faces."
"A joyous book - one to be slowly savoured. The black and white photos are truly atmospheric, the snippets of prose down-to-earth and gently humorous, while the poems are a wonderful celebration of nature. Simon Corble produces a little bit of magic in White Light White Peak, capturing the ethereal beauty of England's first national park. This is a book to keep and cherish." Helen Moat, author and freelance travel writer
”These dramatic images, like some Derbyshire chessboard with all the attendant pieces, through black and white photographs of intense, delicate and evocative composition show the especial beauty of the absence of colour.” - F. Philip Holland, Poet
“The images are stunning and the monochrome photos really work on the two-tone landscape of the White Peak. Part personal discovery, part love-letter to the White Peak, the poems themselves are magic and often made me smile as I too know this landscape well and had many of the same thoughts.” Dan Abrahams, Conservation Adviser, White Peak, for Natural England.
Praise for Simon Corble's verse-play of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:
"A fantastically good script by actor/playwright Simon Corble…his lovingly crafted verse version preserves both the alliteration and the north midlands dialect in places, without ever sacrificing clarity or drama. Truly an inspiring feat, and one that almost moved me to tears by the final quatrain.” Andrea Hopkins, of Oxford University, theatre reviewer and author of twelve books on Arthurian legend, Medieval literature, art and romance.