Next to Nature

Ronald Blythe lived at the end of an overgrown farm track deep in the rolling countryside of the Stour Valley, on the border between Suffolk and Essex.

His home was Bottengoms Farm, a sturdy yeoman's house once owned by the artist John Nash. From here, Blythe spent almost half a century observing the slow turn of the agricultural year, the church year and village life in a series of rich, lyrical rural diaries.

Beginning with the arrival of snow on New Year's Day and ending with Christmas carols sung in the village church, Next to Nature invites us to witness a simple life richly lived. With gentle wit and keen observation Blythe meditates on his life and faith, on literature, art and history, and on our place in the landscape.

It is a celebration of one of our greatest nature writers, and an unforgettable ode to the English countryside.

About the Author

Ronald Blythe has written poetry, short stories, history and literary criticism, much of it reflecting his East Anglian background. His first novel, A REASONABLE GROWTH, was published in 1960, and AKENFIELD, his remarkable evocation of rural change, appeared in 1969. It was followed by THE VIEW IN WINTER, THE AGE OF ILLUSION and the anthology WRITING IN A WAR, which contain further personal assessments of Britain's recent past. His other books are DIVINE LANDSCAPES, THE PENGUIN BOOK OF DIARIES, FIRST FRIENDS, WORD FROM WORMINGFORD, OUT OF THE VALLEY, and a volume of collected essays, FROM THE HEADLANDS. His work has been translated and filmed and has received a number of literary awards.