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Happy Earth Day!
It seems only appropriate that, as the snow falls outside while I type this, that I tell you I finished One Green Field by Edward Thomas over the weekend.
For such a slim book, 106 pages, it took a long time to read. It is not difficult reading by any means and the essays are mostly five pages or less. What took so long is that these little gems are so incredibly rich that just one or two would be enough for a few days. Plus, it seemed there was always something in the essay that would send me off on my own flights, recalling flowers and forests and fields, creeks and rivers, birds and dazzling insects. I’d find my eyes kept going over the words while my mind drifted away and two pages later I’d be recalled and have to go back and read again only to find myself sitting on a warm rock in the piney shade listening to the wind that sounded like water moving through the trees.
Thomas seems like he would have been a perfect walking companion; a man who would not fill the quiet with chatter because the sound of a breeze in the grass was unbearable silence to him. He is the kind of person with whom you could meander, no destination in mind, and not worry about pausing to look closely at the bee in the flower and feel as though you were keeping him from something else more important. I mean, how can you not like a man who says,
I have found only two satisfying places in the world in August — the Bodleian Library and a little reedy, willowy pond, where you may enjoy the month perfectly, sitting and being friendly with moorhen and kingfisher and snake, except in the slowly recurring intervals when you catch a tench and cast only mildly envious eyes upon its cool, olive sides.
Thomas rarely names where he is. Most of the time it is a village, a farm, a field, or a pond. Sometimes it is a church or the Four Elms inn where
The sanded floor, cool and bright, received continually the red hollowed petals that bled from a rose on the table.
And as marvelous as Thomas is at describing nature, he is also delightful at describing people too. One man was
a grasshopper in the fields of religion, scandal, and politics, and wore his hat scrupulously on one side.
And how the echoes of a hymn still lingers after the congregation has left the church, the voices caught in “the high grey stone and those delicate windows” as in a cage.
One Green Field is a lovely little book I highly recommend for those who enjoy nature writing. You will be sure to enjoy the poeticism of Thomas’s prose and be sent away on your own reveries, forgetting, just for a little while, that the snow is falling heavy outside the window.
Yep, definitely want to read this one. Sounds like an absolute treat. Off to check out the library website.
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Carl, a very nice treat. I hope your library has it and you enjoy it!
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Enjoyed this… Breezy! 😉
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Thanks!
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I was just reading about him over the weekend and pulled this little book out in anticipation of reading it! Perfect reading for Earth Day (or the run up to it) and something to get you in the mood for sunnier weather! Maybe I should go read the first essay now–one a day maybe?
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Danielle, isn’t he an interesting fellow? One essay a day seems just about right. And yeah, definitely gets you in the mood for sunnier weather!
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I’d love to take a walk with a man like that. It seems I tend to end up walking with men who have the “got to conquer this trail” syndrome. This sounds like a great book to take to Maine and read while sitting on a rock. Happy Earth Day to you, too!
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I seem to remember that Robert Frost told Thomas something on the lines that in his prose there was the germ of poetry. I can imagine that Thomas’ nature writing would have some of the compression and intensity of his poetry- not surprised that the slim book took some time to read. I must admit that I can take nature writing of this kind in small doses- fine American examples would be Loren Eiseley and Anne Dillard. It is superb writing but, for me, a bit exhausting!
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Ian, Frost was right. These little prose pieces do hold the germ of poetry so it is no surprise that he turned out to be good at it. This kind of nature writing does have a certain intensity to it that is best taken in small doses.
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Emily, no conquering going on with Thomas. I think if one were to take an all day walk with him there would be hours spent sitting on a fence in a field or leaning against a tree by a brook. I think reading it on a rock in Maine would be perfect!
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This sounds like a great read for Earth Day. Thanks for the recommendation. I’m looking forward to your National Poetry Month post today!
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saqustocox, I wasn’t aiming to write about the book on Earth Day but it did work out nicely 🙂
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And now the poetry, Stefanie. I can’t wait to see what you make of him in that respect.
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Alex, yup, the poetry is on my reading table and ready to go! I am very much looking forward to it.
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I love nature writing, and this sounds gorgeous. I am so booked up for the next few months that I won’t be able to read anything beyond my strictly-written-up list, but I’ll bear him in mind for the autumn.
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Litlove, it is indeed gorgeous. he is so wonderfully descriptive it is easy to imagine oneself standing in the scene. Autumn would be a nice time to read this. Heck, any time would be a nice time 🙂
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