Published on 12, July, 2020
What books have subtley influence you, ones that you read as a child? For me it was Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, as well as being a good adventure story, it introduced me to a whole world of folklore and what I call mystic Britain. You have the history of Britain and then you have the mystic history, the Britain of the things seen from the corner of the eye, the things that you know are there, that you can sense and feel, but can rarely see and other people think you're being daft for caring about. As well as all the strange rituals and folk customs around the country, the fertility dances of Morris Men, to the Hobby Horses and corn dollies. The pull of ancient sacred places, stone circles, holy wells, some very ancient churches, a whole sacred landscape that we're only just rediscovering through the use of such technology as LIDAR. Some customs that cross continenets and generations, throwing coins in a wishing well, these places have often been in use for thousands of years.
That one book set me on a journey thats still ongoing.
Pippy Long-stockings (first hero)
Seuss'es
"The Star Bellied Sneeches"
"What Was I Scared of"
anything with pictures of animals
•
age 7 onward
Alice Through the Looking glass (the John Tenniel illustrations)
Daniel Defoe's books especially "The Plague Years In London", A history of the Pyrates"
The Smithsonian magazine's stories of slavery and first nations people.
The New York Times "Neediest Cases" feature.
a bit later-
Treasure Island (the NC Wyeth illustrations)
tweens and onward-
A Canticle for Leibowitz
Asimov's Foundation books
Wells'es Animal Farm
Ray Bradbury's work
among so many others on and on ...
90% sci fi, 10% sociology -these genres in and of themselves deeply sculpted my world view and sense of self.
Uhane said:Pippy Long-stockings (first hero)
I remember seeing her German/Danish films made in the 1960s.
Now they are almost banned for being sexist, racist and favourite with peopos.
Her books and films are so innocent.
I had the books in the 50s and would try to dress and be her. I cant recall these begin any more racist and sexist than most of th3e culture from that era. But Pippy was a breed apart and always off on adventures.