Findings – Kathleen Jamie

A set of short pieces written by Scots poet Kathleen Jamie, who I know better for her account of travels in Pakistan’s Northern Areas, Among Muslims.

In Findings Kathleen Jamie’s beautiful writing takes you on a tour of Scotland – from a winter solstice trip to Orkney, to the Atlantic’s flotsam washed up on the distant Monach Islands, to the adornments of Edinburgh’s rooftops and bird watching over the hills around her home in the Kingdom of Fife.

Amazon.co.uk link: Findings – Kathleen Jamie

Among Muslims: Meetings at the frontiers of Pakistan – Kathleen Jamie

A fantastic book, featuring two of my most favourite places on the planet: Fife and the Northern Areas of Pakistan, and the first book on Pakistan written by a woman that I’ve found or read.

In the new (2002) edition of her book, Kathleen Jamie takes her earlier account of her time living with the people of Gilgit and adds new first and last chapters, featuring (first) her encounter with a group of Pakistani men on a peace march through Scotland post-9/11, and (last) her return to remote Gilgit and the resumption of the friendships made a decade earlier.

It’s beautifully written, about a beautiful part of the world, and provides a rare opportunity to catch glimpses into the personal lives of Pakistani women.

Amazon.co.uk link: Among Muslims: Meetings at the frontiers of Pakistan – Kathleen Jamie