Blythe Spirit - The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe: WINNER THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE

Ronald Blythe has been called the finest rural historian of our times and one of England''s greatest country writers. He spent his entire life - over 100 years of it - living in and around Suffolk, and was best known for his bestselling fictionalised account of rural Suffolk, Akenfield . But for a writer known for his confessional style and intimate, sensitive meditations on nature, religion and life, he revealed little about himself and his private life. In this revealing biography, Ian Collins draws on unparalleled access to letters and writings, as well as several decades of friendship, to depict the ''real Ronnie''. From his challenging childhood, growing up in poverty in Acton, and an education consisting of voraciously reading library books, to his ill-fated time serving in the military, to his sexuality and faith. It is a celebration of a beloved writer and a fascinating portrait of a complex man.

About the author

Ian Collins is a writer and curator. He has written numerous biographies and monographs, including the Runciman Award-winning John Craxton: A Life of Gifts and James Dodds: The Blue Boat which won the Creative Suffolk Author Award. He had a long career as an arts writer for the Eastern Daily Press and has worked with the Aldeburgh Festival, Sainsbury Centre in Norwich, British Museum, Yale Center for British Art in New Haven, Benaki Museum in Athens and Meşher Istanbul. He lives in Suffolk and Greece.

Product details

• Authors: Ian Collins
• Publisher: John Murray
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 07.11.2024
• EAN: 9781399819060
• ISBN: 978-1-399-81906-0
• No. of pages: 416
• Dimensions: 160 mm x 236 mm x 44 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Non-fiction book > Art, literature > Biographies, autobiographies; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Literary Figures, English, Suffolk, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Biography: writers