Product Description

"On the Black Hill" is an elegantly written tale of identical twin brothers who grow up on a farm in rural Wales and never leave home. They till the rough soil and sleep in the same bed, touched only occasionally by the advances of the 20th century. In depicting the lives of Benjamin and Lewis and their interactions with their small local community Chatwin comments movingly on the larger questions of human experience.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50120 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 262 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bruce Chatwin's fascination with nomads and wanderlust represents itself in reverse in On the Black Hill, a tale of two brothers (identical twins) who never go anywhere. They stay in the farmhouse on the English-Welsh border where they were born, tilling the rough soil and sleeping in the same bed, touched only occasionally by the advance of the 20th century. Smacking of a Welsh Ethan Frome, Chatwin evokes the lonely tragedies of farm life, and above all the vibrant land of Wales.

From the Publisher
WINNER OF THE WHITBREAD BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD

About the Author
Bruce Chatwin reinvented British travel writing with his first book, In Patagonia, and followed it with four other books, each unique and extraordinary. He died in 1989.

Customer Reviews

An eloquent celebration of the quiet life.
On the Black Hill is an elegantly written homage to the inelegant life of rural Wales, a life in which no one ever strays far from the farm--there are few opportunities and little motivation to do so. Spartan lives are enriched by stories and gossip, slights are never forgotten, feuds reach epic intensity, and bottled-up frustrations simmer till they explode. Through rich and vivid descriptions of the minutiae of daily existence, we come to know twin brothers Lewis and Ben Jones as they grow up and are shaped by their family and their small community. The townspeople become our own friends or enemies, depending on their behavior towards the twins, and we empathize with them as they use their limited resources to struggle with the big questions which concern us all--questions of love, spirituality, death, cruelty, justice, and ultimately, happiness. By paring life to the bone here, Chatwin gives us a classic example of the adage, "Less is more."

A great read
Chatwin is unusual in that he is often very accessible and easy to read but also an intelligent writer. This book is not as intellectually stimulating as, say, "Utz", but it feels like a book written with love. If you have any feeling for the countryside and British history you will be entranced by this book. There is a feeling of D H Lawrence, without his sexual obsessions plus a sense of humour ! There is also a wonderful lyricism here and a sense of continuity with the past which is perhaps unrealistic - but who cares !

A Beautiful, moving novel
A lovely - if rather sad book, the story of identical twin brothers Lewis and Benjamin on the hill farm on the English Welsh boarder where they live their whole lives. It's a touching story of a traditional welsh commuinity, farming and a brotherly devotion - that often feels disabling. The prose is eloquent, and through the eyes of these memorable characters, we see, and feel so much. I loved this book so much - a beautiful, moving novel.