For some Kenneth White is an inspirational figure, a poet-savant whose injunction to raise and refine cultural sensibilities is a welcome counter-blast to the degradation of our increasingly trivial and homogenous cultural fare. Others are selective as to which elements of White’s output they esteem. In winter 2004 journalist Ian Bell launched into print criticising White’s poetry but expressing the view that his travel writing includes some first rate material. Fans of White’s poetry made a swift and heated response.

Grounding a World offers a number of interesting perspectives, largely positive, which were first delivered as papers at the ‘Forty Years of the White World’ conference held at the University of St Andrews in October 2003.

Gavin Bowd, who organised the conference and co-edits this publication from Alba Editions with Charles Forsdick and Norman Bissell, describes it as ‘a topologically coherent body of texts’ and a ‘passionate engagement with the world of White’.

Essays include ‘Kenneth White: A Transcendental Scot’ by Tony McManus, ‘Kenneth White and Religion’ by Pierre Jamet, ‘From Waste Land to White World’ by Mich

èle Duclos and ‘Geopoetics and Architecture’ by Jean-Paul Loubes.

Grounding a World is priced £9.95 (ISBN 0 9529337 2 1) and can be ordered from 340 Lincoln Avenue, Glasgow G13 3LP Scotland (tel 0141 959 6033).