|
|
St
Kilda Photography
 St
Kilda and the Wider World: Tales of an Iconic Island
St Kilda, now a World Heritage Site and once home to the most
remote community in Britain, has long been seen as a place of
tragedy. Sepia images of intrepid seabird hunters and the abandoned
village street have been used to evoke a heroic, ultimately
doomed 'struggle for existence'on the edge of the Atlantic,
a struggle that ended with the evacuation of 1930. This book,
the first general account for thirty years, reconsiders the
islanders' story and presents a radical new interpretation.
Adnrew Fleming argues that this tale of inevitability doesn't
do the St Kildans justice. They have often been regarded as
exotic, but as the photographs of ordinary children in the book
show, they were not so very different from other Hebrideans.
The archipelago was settled by a hard-working, viable community
well before 2000 BC; in prehistoric and Norse times, St Kilda
may in fact have played a pivotal role in the region. Well into
the Victorian period St Kilda was a well-organised, economically
diversified and culturally rich community, which dealt effectively
with outsiders and won their sympathy. Indeed the St Kildans
themselves colluded with the wider world to create the iconic
island of today.
 Island
on the Edge of the World: Story of St.Kilda (Canongate Classics
S.)
A part of Britain but a world apart, St Kilda society existed
almost completely isolated from the mainstream of civilization
for more than 1000 years. Increased contact with the mainland
during the 19th century brought about the downfall of what many
once regarded as an ideal society. Missionaries and tourists
brought money, disease and despotism. In 1930 the islanders,
who could no longer support themselves, were finally evacuated
at their own request. The island, which is difficult to access,
is now a nature reserve. The island's story was chiefly recorded
by outsiders. This book examines the island and the St Kildan
society as a microcosm of a process which is consistently taking
place, often on a much larger scale, all over the world. St
Kilda remains a symbol of the ability of man to survive in the
most hostile of environments and it remains a fascination unique
among islands. This new edition of Charles Maclean's study of
the island contains an introduction highlighting recent findings
about St Kilda. St
Kilda Photography.
Return
To Photography Scotland
Return
To Travel Photography
Return
To Photography
|
|
