Recognised now as one of the most important voices to emerge from Scotland’s literary ‘Renaissance’ in the 1930s, the full extent of Nan Shepherd’s considerable cultural significance is revealed only in the letters she sent and received over the course of her long life and extraordinary career. Including letters from Neil Gunn, Hugh MacDiarmid, Jessie Kesson, Helen B. Cruickshank, Agnes Mure Mackenzie and many more, this edition documents Shepherd’s emergence as a celebrated novelist in the 1920s and 30s, her quieter years editing the Aberdeen University Review, and the composition of what would, eventually, be her most famous work, The Living Mountain. With an introduction, annotations and biographical sketches, Nan Shepherd’s Correspondence brings you into Nan Shepherd’s world as one of the most influential literary figures of her generation.

Prizes

Long-listed for Saltire Society Awards: Research 2024 (UK)

Ultimately, Correspondence’s core strength lies in its ability to illuminate a myriad of dimensions of this often-mythologised figure. The collection not only deepens understandings of Shepherd as a writer but also as a multifaceted individual, showcasing aspects of her personality, relationships, and career that have long remained the purview of those with privileged access to the archives. Andrews’ meticulous research and editorial decisions ensure that the work will be an essential resource for studies of modernist literature, Scottish cultural history, and women’s writing. -- Beth Campbell, King’s College * The Modernist Review *
This volume’s excellent organisation and extra material ensure the interest of these letters is best revealed. The author has a thorough understanding of the value of Shepherd’s correspondence in this moment of her revival, and in the context of wider themes such as new nature writing and women’s experiences of modernity. This is an absolute treat to read. -- Samantha Walton, Bath Spa University

Kerri Andrews is Reader in Women’s Literature and Textual Editing at Edge Hill University. She is the author of Wanderers: A History of Women Walking (Reaktion, 2020), as well as the editor of Way Makers: An Anthology of Women’s Writing about Walking (Reaktion, 2023). She is writing a book about walking and motherhood and editing the letters of the adventurer and explorer Isobel Wylie Hutchison.