Akenfield by Ronald Blythe

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Akenfield by Ronald Blythe

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Akenfield by Ronald Blythe

'The best portrait of rural life in England' Roger Deakin 'Exquisite' John Updike 'The finest contemporary writer on the English countryside' Observer Ronald Blythe's perceptive and vivid evocation of the rural Suffolk he had known since childhood was acclaimed as an instant classic when it was published in 1969. It reverberates with the voices of the village inhabitants, from the reminiscences of survivors of the Great War evoking days gone by, to the concerns of a younger generation of farm-workers and the fascinating and personal recollections of, among others, the local schoolteacher, doctor, blacksmith, saddler, district nurse and magistrate. Providing insights into the land, education, welfare, class, religion and death, Akenfield forms a unique document of a way of life that has, in many ways, disappeared.
A hundred years from now, anyone wanting to know how things were on the land will turn more profitably to Akenfield than to a sheaf of anaemically professional social surveys* the Guardian *
Blythe lovingly opens the curtains of legend and landscape, revealing the inner, almost clandestine, spirit of the village behind. His book consists of direct-speech monologues, delivered by 49 Suffolk residents, and interpretatively linked by the author. The effect is one of astonishing immediacy: it is as if those country people have looked up for a moment from their plow, lawnmower or kitchen sink, and are talking directly (and disturbingly frankly) to the reader -- Jan Morris * The New York Times *
Exquisite -- John Updike
Ronald Blythe has written poetry, short stories, history and literary criticism, much of it reflecting his East Anglian background. He is the author of A Treasonable Growth, The Age of Illusion and The View in Winter and the editor of The Penguin Book of Diaries. His work has been translated and has received a number of literary awards.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780141187921
ISBN 10 0141187921
Title Akenfield
Author Ronald Blythe
Series Penguin Modern Classics
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Year published 2005-07-28
Number of pages 288
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note Unavailable