Kirjahaku

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2021* 'A wholly original, semi-autobiographical book on how to live, how to be calm and content with only a little, in a quietly humming garden' Daily MailBeautifully illustrated, Seed to Dust is a reflective and restorative account of a life lived in harmony with nature. Marc Hamer has nurtured the same twelve acres of garden for decades. It's rarely visited so he is the only person who fully knows its secrets. But it's not his garden, and his relationship with its owner is at once distant and curiously intimate. In Seed to Dust, Marc takes us month-by-month through his experiences both working in the garden and outside it. We encounter new plants and wildlife, gardening folklore and the joys of manual work; we learn, too, about Marc's path from homelessness to family contentment, and the cycles of change that run through both the garden's life and our own.'An absorbing combination of memoir, gardening folklore and natural history' Country Life'Life-affirming... Absorbing' Sue Stuart-Smith, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Well-Gardened Mind

An inspiring and life-affirming story of a difficult childhood transformed into happy adulthood through the power of nature and gardensBeloved author Marc Hamer writes about finding refuge in his tiny back garden in this highly original story of childhood, old age, and the restorative power of gardens. As a child, he kindled a deep love of the earth by watching plants and insects and exploring the world through a stack of old encyclopaedias he found in the shed. Now an old man, he creates a garden for himself in the neglected plot behind his house.A little book with a big heart: the insights glow as vivid as a flowerbed. If you want to be inspired, or you've lost your belief in the goodness of this world, this could be for you.'A sublime meditation on life, love, nature and family, woven with the wisdom gained through a life well lived' Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell'Patterned with Hamer's gifts for observation, compression, and tone' New Yorker'Rich and tender' New York Times'A book of great but tender power' Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast

In this evocative and heart-wrenching memoir, a hard-working Welsh molecatcher reveals his double life as a poet and a dreamer - "A wonderful memoir ... hands down the most charming book I read last year."--Margaret Renkl, The New York Times"How to Catch a Mole is a small book of many things. In quiet, crystalline prose, it blends memoir, keen observations of nature, and ruminations about life, aging and death."--Wall Street JournalKneeling in a muddy field in the Welsh countryside, clutching a creature that is soft and blue-black, Marc Hamer vows he will stop trapping moles--forever. In this earnest, understated, and sublime work of literary memoir, the molecatcher shares what led him to this strange career and what caused him to stop: from sleeping among hedges as a homeless teen, to toiling on the railway, to weeding windswept gardens in Wales and witnessing the beauty of every living thing.Hamer infuses his wanderings with radiant poetry and stark, simple observations on nature's oft-ignored details. He also reveals how to catch a mole--a craft long kept secret by its masters--and burrows into the unusual lives of his muses. Moles, we learn, are colorblind. Their blood holds unusual amounts of carbon dioxide. Their vast tunnel networks are intricate and deceptive. And, like Hamer, they work alone.Beautifully written, life-affirming, and highly original, How to Catch a Mole offers a gorgeous portrait of one man's deep, unbreakable bond with his natural surroundings, and offers hope and inspiration for anyone looking to improve their relationship with the natural world.

In this evocative and heart-wrenching memoir, a hard-working Welsh molecatcher reveals his double life as a poet and a dreamer - "A wonderful memoir ... hands down the most charming book I read last year."--Margaret Renkl, The New York Times"How to Catch a Mole is a small book of many things. In quiet, crystalline prose, it blends memoir, keen observations of nature, and ruminations about life, aging and death."--Wall Street JournalKneeling in a muddy field in the Welsh countryside, clutching a creature that is soft and blue-black, Marc Hamer vows he will stop trapping moles--forever. In this earnest, understated, and sublime work of literary memoir, the molecatcher shares what led him to this strange career and what caused him to stop: from sleeping among hedges as a homeless teen, to toiling on the railway, to weeding windswept gardens in Wales and witnessing the beauty of every living thing.Hamer infuses his wanderings with radiant poetry and stark, simple observations on nature's oft-ignored details. He also reveals how to catch a mole--a craft long kept secret by its masters--and burrows into the unusual lives of his muses. Moles, we learn, are colorblind. Their blood holds unusual amounts of carbon dioxide. Their vast tunnel networks are intricate and deceptive. And, like Hamer, they work alone.Beautifully written, life-affirming, and highly original, How to Catch a Mole offers a gorgeous portrait of one man's deep, unbreakable bond with his natural surroundings, and offers hope and inspiration for anyone looking to improve their relationship with the natural world.

“Marc Hamer knows how to live—simply, sparely, reverently, abundantly. Spring Rain is a tonic for the soul.”—Sy Montgomery, author of How to Be A Good CreatureFrom the beloved author of How to Catch a Mole and Seed to Dust comes a highly original memoir of childhood, old age, and the restorative power of gardens.Best enjoyed in a single sitting under the shade of a tree, this inventive and curative book captures the moment when an adventurous young boy who traveled the world in his mind meets the old man he becomes. Together, they build a new garden from a neglected plot behind his house on the edge of town.Retired professional gardener Marc Hamer has always found the answers to life's questions in the natural world, whether as a child watching ants, as a young man living homeless in the countryside, or as a professional gardener creating places of calm and restoration for others. Now in his sixties, he is finally creating a garden for himself, at his home in Cardiff, Wales. This moving memoir follows his process as he shares what he’s learned, from the spring of youth to his autumn years, and reflects on how we reconcile our childhoods with where we end up.In Hamer’s own words, “Spring Rain is about the joy of your own back garden. It is a story about the joy of small things, the world in a grain of sand, a universe in a small garden, with love for all the insects and slugs and flowers and weeds and seeds and roots and boundaries and shade and weather that the garden contains.”

For readers of Late Migrations and H is for Hawk A stunning meditation on gardening and the wisdom of plants, " that rare book that will appeal to nonfiction readers everywhere. . . Candid, tender, thoughtful and absorbing."--Shelf Awareness (STARRED Review) "With chapters. . . that] shimmer like lantern slides, lit with luminous imagery. . . Seed to Dust is an invitation to read this world as Mr. Hamer does--with a close eye to what changes, and what does not."--The Wall Street Journal Marc Hamer has nurtured the same 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for over two decades. The garden is vast and intricate. It's rarely visited, and only Hamer knows of its secrets. But it's not his garden. It belongs to his wealthy and elegant employer, Miss Cashmere. But the garden does not really belong to her, either. As Hamer writes, "Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it." In Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer paints a beautiful portrait of the garden that "belongs to everyone." He describes a year in his life as a country gardener, with each chapter named for the month he's in. As he works, he muses on the unusual folklores of his beloved plants. He observes the creatures who scurry and hide from his blade or rake. And he reflects on his own life: living homeless as a young man, his loving relationship with his wife and children, and--now--feeling the effects of old age on body and mind. As the seasons change, Hamer also reflects on the changes he has observed in Miss Cashmere's life from afar: the death of her husband and the departure of her children from the stately home where she now lives alone. At the book's end, Hamer's connection to Miss Cashmere changes shape, and new insights into relationships and the beauty and brutality of nature emerge. Just like all good books and gardens, Seed to Dust is filled with equal parts life and death, beauty and decay, and every reader will find something different to admire.

"Marc Hamer knows how to live--simply, sparely, reverently, abundantly. Spring Rain is a tonic for the soul."--Sy Montgomery, author of How to Be A Good Creature From the beloved author of How to Catch a Mole and Seed to Dust comes a highly original memoir of childhood, old age, and the restorative power of gardens. Best enjoyed in a single sitting under the shade of a tree, this inventive and curative book captures the moment when an adventurous young boy who traveled the world in his mind meets the old man he becomes. Together, they build a new garden from a neglected plot behind his house on the edge of town. Retired professional gardener Marc Hamer has always found the answers to life's questions in the natural world, whether as a child watching ants, as a young man living homeless in the countryside, or as a professional gardener creating places of calm and restoration for others. Now in his sixties, he is finally creating a garden for himself, at his home in Cardiff, Wales. This moving memoir follows his process as he shares what he's learned, from the spring of youth to his autumn years, and reflects on how we reconcile our childhoods with where we end up. In Hamer's own words, "Spring Rain is about the joy of your own back garden. It is a story about the joy of small things, the world in a grain of sand, a universe in a small garden, with love for all the insects and slugs and flowers and weeds and seeds and roots and boundaries and shade and weather that the garden contains."

A captivating, life-affirming memoir of a life in nature that celebrates finding wonder in our world. 'A wonderful book... It has taught me a lot. I feel great love for it' MAX PORTERAt the age of sixteen, Marc Hamer left home with only a rucksack and started walking. By day, he observed the animals and birds. By night, he slept under hedges, in woodlands and on riverbanks. It was the beginning of a life in nature.Years later, now working as a gardener and mole-catcher in the Welsh countryside, Marc tells of the experiences that have shaped him and of the wonders that he encounters each day. He considers, too, the fascinating ways of the mole and the myths that surround this curious creature.This beautiful, meditative book explores what nature can teach us about ourselves and our search for contentment. It is a celebration of living peacefully and finding joy in the world around us.'It is rare to encounter such respect and understanding of nature' Rosamund Young, author of The Secret Life of Cows** Longlisted for The Wainwright Prize 2019 **(Published in hardback as How to Catch a Mole)

"Jeg har fanget muldvarper i flere år, og jeg har bestemt meg for at jeg ikke skal gjøre det mer. Muldvarpjakt har gitt meg et godt liv, men jeg er gammel nå og lei av å drepe, og jeg har lært meg hva jeg trengte å lære."Dette er en livsbejaende bok om det britiske kulturlandskapet, syklusen i naturen, om ensomhet og tilhørighet, og hvorfor Hamer gav det opp.Marc Hamer er noe så sjeldent som profesjonell muldvarpfanger. Muldvarpen er en mystisk skapning. Den er ineffektiv og anatomisk bisarr, og den lever helt alene i mørket under oss. Hamer har skrevet en klok bok om den britiske landsbygda og landskapet, syklusen i naturen og folks generelle syn på det mange tenker på som skadedyr. Hamer har et mer nyansert syn på dette. Han er lei av folk som vil ha en enkel løsning på det de kaller "hageproblem". Han bestemmer seg for å slutte å jakte, fange og drepe. I denne boken forteller Hamer oss hvordan han ser på muldvarpen som mye mer enn et skadedyr. I boken sier han oss noe om vår egen menneskelighet og vår søken etter tilhørighet. Dette er en bok om livet, om naturen, om forfall og vårt forhold til døden, livets uunngåelige utgang.

Naturbeskrivelser med eksistentiel tyngde Muldvarpen er et fascinerende og sagnomspundet dyr. Den er udbredt i fugtige lande med mildt klima som England og Danmark m.fl. Marc Hamer lever af at fange muldvarpe og kender dyret så godt, at han ved, at selv et enkelt dyr kan underminere en hel prydhave. Som skadedyrsbekæmper foretrækker han den klassiske, gammeldags saks som sit redskab. Men selv om han lever af at slå muldvarpe ihjel, nærer han også stor ømhed for det lille dyr. Marc Hamer skildrer med sit nøgterne og præcise sprog, hvordan han er så tæt forbundet med naturen, at dyrene ikke længere kan lugte, at han er fremmed og potentielt farlig. Han har oparbejdet den meget sjældne evne, at han kan forudse muldvarpens forløb og derved komme den i forkøbet. Det lille blinde dyr under jorden minder ham om den cyklus, der også kommer til at opsluge ham selv – han har for længst passeret det punkt, hvor han har levet mere end halvdelen af sit liv. KUNSTEN AT FANGE MULDVARPE er en underfundig, eksistentiel og personlig fortælling om et år med en særlig mission under åben himmel. Bogen lever af årstidernes skiften, iagttagelser af dyreliv, erindringer om et hårdt liv på gaden, mødet med en varm kvinde, glæden ved at blive far og sorgen over, at reden nu er tom. Om alt det væsentlige mellem himmel og jord. Undervejs indfinder accepten sig på stille og livsbekræftende vis: Af jord skal du komme, til jord skal du blive. Om forfatterenMarc Hamer, er 60+, walisisk lyriker, tidligere hjemløs og lever i dag af at fange muldvarpe. KUNSTEN AT FANGE MULDVARPE er solgt til udgivelse verden over.