Richard Smyth

Writer and Critic, UK

Richard Smyth writes features, reviews and comment pieces for publications including The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement and New Statesman, among others. He is also a crossword setter, a cartoonist and an author whose books include The Jay, the Beech and the Limpetshell (2023) and the novel The Woodcock (Fairlight Books, 2021). He lives in Shipley, West Yorkshire, UK.

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Written by Richard Smyth

A black-and-white photo of a group of men sitting close together, some with mouths open as if singing or speaking. In the blurry background, additional people are seated around a table. The scene appears to be inside a room with a warm, communal atmosphere.

essay

Music

Folk music was never green

Don’t be swayed by the sound of environmental protest: these songs were first sung in the voice of the cutter, not the tree

Richard Smyth

A hawk stands over its prey, a colourful bird, in a grassy, rural landscape with trees and rolling hills in the background.

essay

Nature and landscape

Nature does not care

Too many nature writers descend into poetic self-absorption instead of the sharp-eyed realism the natural world deserves

Richard Smyth