The Story of Yew is just that–the story of a yew tree. A two-thousand-year-old specimen relates its memoirs for the benefit of the human race. The narrative is in the first person simply because the storyteller is the yew itself.
Only by lending an unbiased ear can one appreciate the words spoken by the yew tree. It follows that the kind listeners should put aside their assumptions on the superiority of the human race.
How I chanced upon this age-old testimony and then transcribed it, is inessential.
Legend has it that before the construction of the heaven-reaching tower of Babel there was but one language. The yew has overcome the communication barrier between humans and trees by employing a shared language. We live on common ground.
—Guido Mina di Sospiro
Mike Scott, legendary founder and leader of The Waterboys, holding The Story of Yew.
Much of his music and poetry has been an inspiration to the author. In his dedication he penned:
“To Mike, who has written, sung, and played the soundtrack of my life.”
Interviews and Reviews
