In the aftermath of the defeat of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour in the ‘red wall’ which the party dominated for so long, Alex Niven seeks to revive hope in a positive future for the northeast of England. Turning his back on politics, Niven instead embraces the transformative potential of culture, predominantly literature and architecture, as he seeks to redefine northern identity and bring about a meaningful revival of spirits in this marginalized region.
Part-memoir and part cultural history of the North East (with some reference to Manchester), this book comes alive when boldly drawing links between northern figures. We learn how the dramatic industrial and post-industrial landscapes of the region inspired artists from Zamyatin to Ridley Scott as they created their own futuristic imagescapes. Modernist poet Basil Bunting and controversial 1960s Newcastle council leader T Dan Smith are paired together, sharing a radical optimism for the north.
