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The Hidden Fires
£8.99
A luminous, deeply felt journey into the Cairngorms — a conversation across a century between Merryn Glover and Nan Shepherd, exploring landscape, identity and the fire at the heart of the mountains.
Shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature, this is a profound meditation on place, belonging and the transformative power of walking into the life of a mountain.
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About the Ebook
The Hidden Fires is a vivid, intimate and elemental journey into the Cairngorm mountains — Scotland’s high, rocky heart. Fierce, wild and full of wonder, these landscapes demand both humility and surrender. To know them takes a lifetime; to love them requires courage.
Following in the footsteps of Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain, Merryn Glover traces the same ridges, corries and waters, exploring the themes, questions and revelations that shaped Shepherd’s seminal work. Though separated by nearly a century, the two writers are united by place, purpose and a shared devotion to the mountains.
Glover — an Australian who grew up in the Himalayas — once found the Scottish hills cold and unwelcoming. But through patient wandering rather than mountaineering, she discovers the spark that sets both the Cairngorms and herself ablaze. Her deepening encounter reveals the wild majesty, iridescence and living presence of the mountains.
Shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature and The Great Outdoors Reader Awards 2024, this is a beautiful evocation of landscape, place and identity.
“Merryn Glover’s The Hidden Fires is not just brave, it is remarkable.”
— Sir John Lister‑Kaye
Critical Praise
"A remarkable, intimate and elemental journey into the Cairngorms — a modern companion to Nan Shepherd."
Why You'll Love This Ebook
- A lyrical, landscape‑driven narrative rooted in the Cairngorms.
- A contemporary companion to Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain.
- Explores identity, belonging and wildness with emotional depth.
- Perfect for readers of nature writing, mountain literature and literary nonfiction.
- A standout Polygon title celebrated for its insight, beauty and courage.
About the Author
Merryn Glover was born in Kathmandu and grew up in Nepal, India and Pakistan. Her work spans stage plays, radio drama and fiction, including A House Called Askival and Of Stone and Sky. In 2019 she became the first Writer in Residence for the Cairngorms National Park, and her writing is deeply informed by the landscapes and communities of the Highlands, where she now lives.
Publication Details
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
Imprint: Polygon
Publication Date: 2 March 2023
Print Length: 240 pages
ISBN (Ebook): 9781788855174
Format: Ebook
Language: English
Categories: Nature Writing & Gardening / Travel Writing, Adventure & Guide Books / Literary Non‑Fiction
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