{"product_id":"9781399819091","title":"Blythe Spirit : The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe: WINNER OF THE NEW ANGLE PRIZE 2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Moving, candid, vivid, it is all that we could hope for in a memoir of this unique and treasured writer' ROWAN WILLIAMS'An unusually intimate and affectionate portrait' PATRICK BARKHAM, GUARDIAN'As a boy I dreamed of scholars and saints wandering around markets and cornfields, and of artists and poets sitting under the trees.'Ronald Blythe (1922-2023), author of the inimitable Akenfield, was a prolific and poetic chronicler of rural and spiritual life, nature and literature. He spent a joyful century close to his Suffolk roots, time travelling in his imagination and publishing forty books and thousands of essays. His wide creative network included John and Christine Nash, Cedric Morris, Benjamin Britten, E. M. Forster, Patricia Highsmith and Richard Mabey.   From finding Thomas Hardy in February rain and John Clare in country tracks, to talking to his white cat and reading through a dragonfly's wings, the Blythe gift was to marvel in the everyday. His writing was intimate, meditative and often laced with a wry humour, inviting readers to share his enchanting perspective on the world. Yet few knew the 'real' Ronald Blythe. Leaving school at 14, he educated himself in libraries, churches and walks in the East Anglian landscape. He never spoke about early poverty and traumatic experience in the war, while his sexuality was kept private except from those closest to him.   Drawing on unparalleled access to letters, notebooks, published works, drafts, and conversations from decades of friendship, Ian Collins tells the full story of Ronald Blythe for the first time. The result is a sensitive, revelatory portrait which celebrates a fascinating, complex man and casts new light on one of our greatest writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"product__accordion accordion quick-add-hidden\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdetails id=\"Details-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003csummary role=\"button\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"ProductAccordion-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"summary__title\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003ch2 class=\"h4 accordion__title inline-richtext\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProduct Information\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003csvg class=\"icon icon-caret\" viewbox=\"0 0 10 6\"\u003e\u003cpath fill=\"currentColor\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M9.354.646a.5.5 0 0 0-.708 0L5 4.293 1.354.646a.5.5 0 0 0-.708.708l4 4a.5.5 0 0 0 .708 0l4-4a.5.5 0 0 0 0-.708\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\u003e\u003c\/path\u003e\u003c\/svg\u003e\n\t\t\u003c\/summary\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cdiv class=\"accordion__content rte\" id=\"ProductAccordion-collapsible_tab_dDVEeR-template--25151688147283__main\"\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"metafield-multi_line_text_field\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ian Collins\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDate of Publication:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/11\/2025\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePagination:\u003c\/b\u003e 416 pages, N\/A\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eSeries:\u003c\/b\u003e N\/A\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eImprint:\u003c\/b\u003e John Murray Publishers Ltd\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePublished By:\u003c\/b\u003e John Murray Press\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBook Classification:\u003c\/b\u003e Suffolk\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/b\u003e 196 x 130 x 30\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eISBN13\/EAN\/SKU:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781399819091\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e\n\t\t\t\t\u003c\/details\u003e\n\t\t\t\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Ian Collins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56096063422850,"sku":"9781399819091","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/2180\/9347\/files\/9781399819091.jpg?v=1793294495","url":"https:\/\/mountfloridabooks.pro\/products\/9781399819091","provider":"Mount Florida Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}