On sheep - Axel Lindn

'Axel Lindn is a shepherd-philosopher with James Herriot's knack for mishap and an almost Chekhovian deadpan humour.' Observer

'Endearing and liberating.' Idler Magazine

'A sublime little book.' Cotswold Life

_______

Why
do we keep sheep? Alex Lindn ruminates as he watches his sheep
ruminating. Naive and inexperienced, he has ditched his doctoral studies
in order to move to a fully working farm in the country with his
family, where he is tasked with the responsibility of caring for a herd
of sheep.

Lindn records his new life in his diary, as he tries
to manage life on the farm, the ever-escaping sheep and the trials and
tribulations that come with being a shepherd - shearing, lambing and
confronting the slaughterhouse.

As time passes and he gradually
settles into the rhythm of shepherding, his naivete fades away and is
replaced with stark realisations about what is now his everyday life. He
finds himself applying his experiences of animal husbandry to consider
our place - as individuals and as a collective organism - in the
universe. Is he really the one caring for the sheep, or are they the
ones keeping him? Lindn finds both companionship in his flock and a
sound, if complex, moral framework for examining the lives we lead.

The result is a sensitive and entertaining meditation on the small wonders in our world.