Monday 4 August 2008

Sunday, 3rd August 2008


0626


THE SHOP








































THE VALLEY
































8 hours and sixteen minutes and 1,750 km later:


HOME




























EMAIL:
From: Marlous
To: info AT ianwalthew.com
Date: 03/08/08
Dear Ian,
It took me a couple of days to find a picture of myself.
After a smallinvestigation we decided that, since somewhere around my 10th birthday, Imanaged to escape all forms of visual evidence..
So in the end, I had to make one. I don't think I mentioned the anthropology stuff on our brief encounter.
Also, I ran in to you in the Abbey Bookshop on the day you did a reading atShakepeare & Company (this must sound confusing), somewhere in the afternoon.
So, you might have me mixed up with someone else, but here's the picture anyway.
I'm not sure why I'm asking you this, but how did you enjoy the writing process?
Did you get the story on paper easily or was it more like rewriting andrewriting and a lot of frustration maybe? I think I'm just curious what it's like..
For me, I'm at a point in my life where I'm almost 'studied' enough (that's how they like to call this at University, but I've always found it avery ambiguous concept) to pursue some kind of academic career, but I'm also doubting enough to go for something completely different. I find it very hard, impossible even, to decide for myself what might make me happy. I think that's part of the reason why your book really made an impact. Somehow it gave me hope, for you are the evidence that even when things look all messed up, in the end it might turn out quite allright.
The last few days I started thinking about books I read, which might interestyou as well. I do not bluntly want to tell a writer what to read, so I hope itdoesn't sound like that. It's just that somehow I matched them with your work.
There's this book, writen by James Scott (a professor of political science andanthropology at Yale University) which is called 'Seeing Like A State'. Some people glorify it, others are very critical and reject it. I suppose I'm somewhere in between, but everyone should decide for themselves. I read it partly as a consideration about how the world became as it is now, and partly as the view of a doom-mongering man. It makes some general claims about the modern world and links it to development, but I think a great deal of it also applies to rural communities.
The other book has got nothing to do with the rural problems you speak of, but is another example of an author that decided to make a statement with the help of a novel instead of an academic work, although he too is a professor. I thought you might relate to that. His name is Adam Ashforth, author of 'Madumo, A Man Bewitched'.
It tells the story of a man who experiences a lot of set-backs and blames this on witchcraft. I think that, just like you, Ashforth tries to show social consequences without going to deep into the exactness of the causes. Whether you blame something on 'the market'or on 'magic', you still have to deal with the results in your everyday life..
I wish you good luck with your Dutch courses, and maybe we will accidentally run into eachother again some day.
I'll keep an eye on your website and future publishing and wish you and your family all the best for the future.
With kind regards,
Marlous
P.S. I think I'll pick up on some of Laurie Lee's work, one of these days.
EMAIL
From: Lucie Floret
Date: 02 August 2008 15:13
To: undiscolsed recipients
Subject: a ecouter
Il fallait oser ! La chanteuse Pink l'a fait.
Voici un beau morceau très engagé... à écouter jusqu'au bout svp...
Faites suivre rapidement, avant que la censure US ne fasse son job.

Il y a une traduction en surimpression :


This is home.
One night and one day in England and I know.



ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHT IAN WALTHEW 2008

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