Thirty-five years after the publication of Ronald Blythe's
classic portrait of an English village, Akenfield, Craig Taylor
returned to the Suffolk village on which the book was based. He
sought out locals who appeared in the original book to learn how
their lives had changed, met newcomers and interviewed Ronald
Blythe himself. The result reverberates with the voices of the
villagers: young farmers, retired orchardmen and Eastern European
migrant workers talk about farming in an age of globalization;
commuters, weekenders and retirees discuss the realities behind the
rural idyll; and the local priest, teacher and pub owner describe
the daily pleasures and tribulations of village life.
* 'Gentle, subtle, absorbing book... the most complex and supple account of that much-discussed idea, 'modern rural life', that I have ever read' Robert Macfarlane
Craig Taylor is a journalist and playwright. He writes the 'We Love Each Other' column for the Guardian and has written for McSweeney's and the New York Times Magazine. Some of his 'One Million Tiny Plays about London' have been staged at the Hampstead Theatre. Originally from Canada, he lives in London.
