Ian Collins

Writer and curator Ian Collins tells the story of the life of his close friend, the country writer Ronald Blythe, a prolific chronicler of rural and spiritual life, nature and literature who died at the age of 100 in 2023.

Collins draws from Blythe’s letters and notebooks and from conversations during their decades of friendship to paint a picture of the author of Akenfield. Blythe was a private man and few knew the real person. Collins explains how Blythe left school at 14 and educated himself in libraries, churches and on walks through East Anglia. He never spoke about his early poverty and traumatic war experiences and kept his sexuality private except from those close to him. Publication of Akenfield in 1969, a portrait of a rapidly disappearing rural life, made Blythe famous. His other books included the novel, A Treasonable Growth, a social history of life between the wars, The Age of Illusion, and an examination of old age, The View in Winter.

‘Blythe is regarded by his peers and many readers as the finest contemporary writer on the English countryside.’ The Guardian

Collins has written biographies and monographs including John Craxton, A Life of Gifts, winner of the Runciman Award, and James Dodds: The Blue Boat. He is a former arts writer for the Eastern Daily Press.