More Rosebud - James Rebanks: the shepherd's life and times

Our guest on More Rosebud today is James Rebanks, sheep-farmer and writer of best-selling books 'The Shepherd's Life' and 'English Pastoral', as well as a brand new book 'The Place of Tides'. James has lived and worked on the Cumbrian Lakeland fells since he was a boy, and farms the same hillside at Matterdale as his family have for the past 600 years. In this conversation he tells Gyles about his boyhood, being inspired to read The Odyssey and Hemingway by his mum and headteacher, about dropping out of school and his rebellious teenagehood, and about how he went back to night school and ended up going to university as a mature student. He also tells Gyles about his love for his sheepdogs and his thoughts on the government's plan to introduce inheritance tax on family farms. Enjoy this episode with one of the most interesting writers working today, who is also a dedicated and passionate farmer.

James's latest book, The Place of Tides, is out now published by Allen Lane at £22. Highly recommended, as are all of James's books.

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