Robert Macfarlane, Guardian Review Book Club

British writer Robert Macfarlane discusses his book The Old Ways this month at the Guardian Review Book Club.

Macfarlane’s intricate evocations of the natural world place him in the Romantic tradition of English travel writers that includes Laurie Lee, Patrick Leigh Fermor and Roger Deakin- who was a close friend. In the manner of Lee’s seminal book As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, instant bestseller The Old Ways has become a modern touchstone for city-dwellers seeking to commune with nature.

In the acclaimed 2012 work- which was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize- Macfarlane crafts rich prose from his journeys walking the ancient paths and roadways that cross Britain.

The Old Ways concludes the author’s trilogy about “landscapes and the human heart”, weaving together history, travelogue and stories of people to explore the connections between man and nature. Macfarlane’s debut, Mountains of the Mind , won the Guardian First Book Award for its lyrical exploration of man’s fascination and relationship with mountains.

As well as being a writer, Macfarlane is a lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge, so expect the discussion to link his work with the wider literary world of nature writing.