At the Yeoman's House - Hardcover
When in 1947 the young writer Ronald Blythe first visited Bottengoms Farm on the Essex-Suffolk border, the ancient house of the artists John and Christine Nash, he could not have guessed that this would in time become his own home and the centre of the writing life. It was to bring him fame with publication of his study of rural life, Akenfield (1969), now a Penguin Modern Classic. In his new book Blythe looks back with affection to the friendships with artists, writers, farmers, gardeners and neighbours that were to enrich his life. At the Yeoman's House is not merely a spellbinding fragment of autobiography, but also a fascinating picture of the history, topography, botany and folk- lore of a beautiful corner of England made famous in the paintings of John Constable and through Blythe's own enchanting books.
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About the Author:
Ronald Blythe has written novels, short stories, poetry, literary criticism and social history. Best known for his novels, in particular Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village, and his non-fiction writing serialised in the Church Times, Blythe was also editor of Penguin Classics for two decades and produced critical studies of Jane Austen,Thomas Hardy,William Hazlitt and Henry James. For many years he has been President of the John Clare Society. In 2006 he was awarded the Benson Medal, the highest honour of the Royal Society of Literature.
Review:
'The writing takes the form of a dozen short chapters or movements, interspersed with poems, photos, meetings with other artists such as Cedric Morris and Paul Nash, instructions for thatching or the celebration of a brick floor. Roaming the byways of history and memory with a poet's exactitude, Blythe particularises and names. Lists are a feature.At one point he compiles a seven-page record of all the plants growing in the garden and illustrates it with John Nash's marvellous wood engravings.The whole book is a poem: sheer delight.' Spectator 'A hand-polished gem of a book' Church Times 'This is a production of old age, gentle but not soft, both tough-minded and charitable.' TLS 'Unlike all but a few modern writers, Ronald Blythe has worked and matured where he was born - His words have the weight of things firmly fixed in his mind's eye.' John Updike, The New Yorker 'Blythe's intellect and imagination are so naturally allusive that he can hardly write a sentence without historical resonance - It is his easy, unselfconscious intimacy with the past that lies behind his success.' Paul Fussell, The Atlantic Monthly
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- PublisherEnitharmon Press
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 1907587179
- ISBN 13 9781907587177
- BindingLeather Bound
- Number of pages127
- Rating
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