Blythe Spirit: The Remarkable Life of Ronald Blythe
Ronald Blythe, one of Britain’s foremost rural writers, passed away in January 2023 at 100. The Blythe gift was to marvel in the everyday. His intimate, meditative and often wryly humorous writing, invited readers to share his enchanting perspective. Leaving school at 14, he educated himself in libraries, churches, and East Anglian walks. He never spoke of early poverty, wartime trauma, or his private sexuality. Drawing on letters, notebooks, drafts, and conversations from decades of friendship, Ian Collins tells Blythe’s full story and, at Buxton, speaks with Blythe’s friend, naturalist Mark Cocker.
