7

1

THE LEFT HAND

OF DARKNESS,

Ursula K Le Guin

An ice-bound planet that

barely knows any summer

and has a people with no

gender. Winter, the world

that Ursula K Le Guin

conjured in this book in

1969, is a place that holds

many subtle lessons for the

alien investigator, and for

the contemporary reader.

2

THE SHEPHERD’S

LIFE, James Rebanks

Lambing, hefting, shearing.

The life of the shepherd

follows a pattern laid down

millennia ago, yet every

day brings fresh challenges

and every year encroaches

further on this way of living.

Even at his most frostbitten,

James Rebanks makes for

an enthralling companion.

3

DUNBAR,

Edward St Aubyn

Captivated by Benedict

Cumberbatch’s new screen

translation of the Patrick

Melrose novels, you find

that you can’t get enough

of Edward St Aubyn, one of

England’s premier prose

stylists. Now’s the time for a

dip into his latest, a retelling

of King Lear, bracing as

a dive into a frozen lake.

4

INDEPENDENT

PEOPLE,

Halldór Laxness

It wasn’t just Independent

People that Icelandic

author Halldór Laxness was

awarded the Nobel Prize

for in 1955, but it might as

well have been. It’s at once

unforgiving and profoundly

compassionate, set in a

landscape beyond that is

as brutal as it is dreamy.

Rug up, bunker down and

ask yourself: “To stand

alone, is not that the

perfection of life, its aim?”

5

ISLAND,

Alistair MacLeod

The stark Cape Breton

coast of Nova Scotia is

Alistair MacLeod’s turf,

and dignity in the face

of isolation and loss are

among his themes. These

stories form a bittersweet

elegy to traditions of

Scotland and Ireland

washed up on the other

side of the world.

6

HOW TO COOK

YOUR LIFE, Dōgen/

Kōshō Uchiyama Rōshi

“Do you wash the sand

and pick out the rice, or

wash the rice and pick out

the sand?” The original

Instructions for the Zen

Cook is on one level a

practical manual for monks

cooking for a monastery.

But, this being a Zen

Buddhist text, you could

also read more into it. In this

edition, Kōshō Uchiyama

Rōshi’s commentary, written

in the 20th century,

illuminates the spiritual

aspect of the teachings

of 13th-century Zen master

Dōgen for the modern-day

reader. “When you look at

the rice, see the sand at the

same time; when you look

at the sand, see also the

rice.” Let’s get metaphysical.

gyp

books that embrace the cold, the wild and the introspective.

MYSTERY ROAD
(ABC/iView)
Look at the cast
alone – Aaron
Pedersen, Judy
Davis, Deborah Mailman, Colin
Friels, Wayne Blair, Anthony Hayes,
Ernie Dingo, John Waters – and
you already know Mystery Road
is shaping up to be a contender
for the best Australian drama
aired in 2018. It’s been garnering
international acclaim in advance,
and I defy anyone to watch the
trailer and not want to watch
the whole lot in a single hit.
Benjamin Law is the creator and
co-writer of SBS’s award-winning
comedy The Family Law, which
returns in 2018, with all episodes
so far available on SBS On Demand.

Coldcomfort

ByPAT NOURSE

Forget sunny escapism: savour the frostier months with

GOURMET TRAVELLER 71