Akenfield by Ronald Blythe

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 wrote poetry, short stories, history and literary criticism, much of it reflecting his East Anglian background. He was 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. Blythe died in 2023. He is hailed today as one the greatest British nature writers.

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.