This author is celebrated for an autobiographical trilogy that intimately chronicles childhood in an idyllic valley. His writing then follows the experience of leaving home for the wider world, exploring new landscapes and the self. The final volume captures a return to a foreign land during a period of conflict, where the author actively participates in significant events. His work is cherished for its lyrical prose and profound sense of place and history.
Set in a world filled with mystical creatures like unicorns and dragons, this book explores enchanting legends that transport readers to extraordinary realms. The narrative weaves together fantastical elements and rich storytelling, inviting readers to immerse themselves in adventures where imagination knows no bounds.
This collection features a variety of fairy tales inspired by classic faerie lore, blending both whimsical and darker narratives. Echoing the style of the Brothers Grimm, it offers a mix of lighthearted stories alongside more sinister ones, showcasing the rich tapestry of themes and emotions found in traditional fairy tales. Readers can expect a captivating journey through familiar tales reimagined with unique twists.
Cinderella, despite finding her prince, yearns for more than a traditional fairy tale conclusion. The story explores her desire for independence and self-discovery, challenging the expectations of happily-ever-after. As she navigates her new life, Cinderella seeks to define her own happiness beyond royal duties and societal norms, presenting a fresh take on a beloved classic.
'If ever I saw blessing in the air I see it now in this still early day...' Laurie Lee is beloved for his writing on a lost rural world. His Collected Poems open a new window on this community, as Lee tracks the seasons changing and the years turning over. Written from the 1930s to the 1960s, these heady works find the poet grappling with war, love, travel and his awe in the nature surrounding him. In 'Music in a Spanish Town', we see Lee playing his fiddle in in 1936; in 'April Rise', ecstatic in the Slad valley springtime; or in 'Twelfth Night', digging for faith in the depths of winter. Brought together in one volume for the first time, and including previously unseen material, these timeless verses reveal Laurie Lee finding a newly intimate voice as a poet.
A moving portrait of the landscape that shaped the life of Laurie Lee, the beloved author of Cider With Rosie 'Before I left the valley I thought everywhere was like this. Then I went away for 40 years and when I came back I realized that nowhere was like this.' Laurie Lee walked out of his childhood village one summer morning to travel the world, but he was always drawn back to his beloved Slad Valley, eventually returning to make it his home. In this portrait of his Cotswold home, Laurie Lee guides us through its landscapes, and shares memories of his village youth - from his favourite pub to winter skating on the pond, the church through the seasons, local legends, learning the violin and playing jazz records in the privy on a wind-up gramophone. Filled with wry humour and a love of place, Down in the Valley is a writer's tribute to the landscape that shaped him, and where he found peace.
'Living in our valley was like broad beans in a pod, so snug and enclosed and protective.' Laurie Lee left his childhood home in the Cotswolds when he was nineteen, but it remained with him throughout his life, until, many years later, he returned for good. In this never before published collection, Laurie Lee guides us through his home landscape around Slad in Gloucestershire, and the memories of his youth there. Down in the Valley bring to life the sights, sounds and traditions of his home - from his favourite pub, The Woolpack, summer bathing and winter skating on the village pond, the church through the seasons, learning the violin and playing jazz records in the privy on a wind-up gramophone. Told with a warm sense of humour and a powerful sense of history, Down in the Valley brings us a picture of a vanished world.
An enchanting book, an exquisite farewell, not only to childhood, and boyhood, but also to an England that has vanished J. B. Priestly
Der 1914 geborene britische Journalist und Schriftsteller Laurie Lee wurde in den 50er und 60er Jahren durch seine autobiographischen Romane bekannt: "Eine Rose für den Winter" (BA 102, 130), "Des Sommers ganze Fülle" (BA 200, 35) und "An hellen Tagen" (BA 273, 65). In diesem, im englischen Original 1991 erschienenen Band erinnert er sich an die Monate des harten spanischen Winters 1937/38, die er als Freiwilliger bei den Internationalen Brigaden des Spanischen Bürgerkriegs verbrachte. So lebendig und farbig, als wären die Ereignisse höchstens vor 60 Stunden und nicht vor 60 Jahren passiert, schildert er den Irrsinn des Krieges, fängt die Atmosphäre ein und berichtet vom Kriegsverlauf, so weit er ihn erlebte. Ein bewegendes Buch voll Poesie, ein menschliches Zeugnis. Entsprechende Empfehlung. (2)
