Celebrating the Lives of Two Very Different Figures: Charles Darwin & Nan Shepherd

Today is the anniversary of  the birth of Charles Darwin, born early in the nineteenth century in 1809. Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of Nan Shepherd, born late in the nineteenth century in 1893. Two very different people whose key works - On the Origin of Species and The Living Mountain - have influenced me greatly. Darwin of course changed the whole world. Shepherd's influence is much smaller, though growing, but her words are just as important to me.

Whilst the English scientist and the Scottish writer may not seem to have much in common I think what they shared was a profound understanding and appreciation of the natural world. Just consider these two quotations.

“There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful, have been, and are being, evolved”. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species. 

"Imagination is haunted by the swiftness of the creatures that live on the mountain – eagle and peregrine falcon, red deer and mountain hare. The reason for their swiftness is severely practical: food is so scarce up here that only those who can move swiftly over vast stretches of ground may hope to survive. The speed, the whorls and torrents of movement, are in plain fact the mountain’s own necessity. But their grace is not necessity.” Nan Shepherd. The Living Mountain.

I wrote much more about Darwin's importance to me in this piece nine years ago. I haven't yet written much about Nan Shepherd. I must remedy that this year.

Nan Shepherd Biography Launch

Charlotte Peacock signs a copy of Into The Mountain

It's not often that an event in Grantown-on-Spey is so popular that the venue has to be changed at the last minute but that's what happened with the launch event for Charlotte Peacock's biography of Nan Shepherd, Into The Mountain.

Well over a hundred people turned up to listen to Moira Forsyth of Sandstone Press and an author herself interview Charlotte Peacock about how an English woman in Suffolk discovered Nan Shepherd and became so entranced by her that she wanted to write her biography. This was followed by questions on the process of researching and writing the book and on the author's feelings about Nan Shepherd - the last coming across as a mixture of fondness and respect. I felt the author, who described Shepherd as reticent, was somewhat reticent herself at times here. A huge amount of difficult and impressive research has clearly gone into the book.

Following the interview there were questions from the audience - and what questions! There were people there who had met or been taught by Nan Shepherd and had fascinating and revealing stories to tell. Then there was the man who'd bought an old booklet about the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition published in 1907 and discovered Nan Shepherd had written her name in it. Wonderful!

After this really enjoyable and informative evening I now have to finish reading Into The Mountain and write a review. I'm well into the book now and enjoying it greatly. It's well-written and packed with interesting details. I'm going to be rereading The Living Mountain and then reading some of Nan Shepherd's other books for the first time too.

Nan Shepherd Biography Launch In Grantown-On-Spey

The first biography of Nan Shepherd, author of the classic book on the Cairngorms, The Living Mountain, will be launched in the Cairngorms National Park at Grantown Museum on November 7th.

Into the Mountain by Charlotte Peacock is a detailed look at an intensely private woman about whom little was previously known. I have an advance copy and will be reviewing it in The Great Outdoors. Looking through the book and having read the first chapter I think I'm going to really enjoy it. The Living Mountain is one of my favourite outdoor books and I'm looking forward to learning about its author

Tickets for the launch are £5 and are available from The Bookmark in Grantown-on-Spey. I'll be there.