Book Launch | Blythe Spirit: The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe

Regarded by many as the finest contemporary writer on the English countryside, Ronald Blythe is perhaps best known for Akenfield, a fictional account of life in a 1960s Suffolk village. His writing was intimate, meditative and often laced with a wry humour, inviting readers to share his enchanting perspective on the world.

Blythe was among the many to find inspiration in visiting his friends Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines at Benton End, famously commenting: ‘The greatest crime at Benton End was to be boring!’

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. 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 his traumatic experience in the war, while his sexuality was kept private except from those closest to him.

To celebrate the release of his new book Blythe Spirit: The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe, Ian Collins’ talk will explore Ronald Blythe’s life in gardens with readings by David Holt.

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.