GO WITH ME Vol. 2
A MAGAZINE FOR READERS
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Exclusive! inside
READING RETREATS
52 book challenge POSTER
Women IN THE
WILD Discover the books and meet the WOMEN REWRITING THE WILDERNESS
48 HourS in
LITERARY EDINBURGH
CONTENTS EXPLORE 7. Reading Retreats 9. Commuter’s Guide 10. Beckett in Berlin 12. 48 Hours in Literary Edinburgh
COVER SECTION 15. Blazing the Female Trail 17. Adventures with a Wild Sleeper 22. Witches of the Wilderness 25. Bookpacking
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CURIOSITIES 27. The Birth of a Monster 31. Book Reel 32. Discovering the Goblin Market 35. Storied Items Pass Hands
WRITERS 36. Poetry 38. Meet the Author 39. Meet our Writers
WELCOME
o With Me is the ultimate literary travel companion. Figuratively, a ‘Vade Mecum’ (Latin: meaning ‘Go With Me’) is a book that one keeps by one’s side or close to hand, so that it can be easily consulted for guidance or inspiration. We have taken this as our ethos and aim to unlock spaces for readers to escape into. Leave the daily grind behind and delve into fascinating worlds of fiction with volume 2 of Go With Me. This volume’s theme section explores Women in the Wild who have deviated from convention to venture into the unknown. Whether it be journeying north in Abi Andrews’ fictional quest to Alaska, Phobe Smith’s treks and adventures wild sleeping, or rethinking the witch archetype, these reads will leave you reimagining the meaning of ‘wild.’ Oh and don’t forget to mark the Go With Me library card as you add volume 2 to your bookshelf!
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@gowithme_mag Cover Illistration
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Diana Shtereva is a freelance illustrator who describes herself as a friendly neighbourhood artist living between Belgium, Austria and Bulgaria. You can follow her on Instagram @diaart or visit her website: www.dianashtereva.com
Every volume of Go With Me comes with our book recommendations, based on the issue’s theme. The chosen theme of volume 2 is: WOMEN IN wilderness.
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Where are you reading? Some of our readers share their favourite reading nooks with us
Diana M 36, Philippines writer, @bookbubblez
Jacqueline G 24, Germany, tour guide @maplejacq
This shabby chic beach hut blessed with a sunset view is my favorite book nook. It is on a blessed island with miles and miles of beaches, mangroves, endless acres of sugarcane fields and fresh air. Reading at the beach puts my soul at ease. The sound of the waves calms me, allowing me to focus on books and nature.
The Nobis bakery here in Aachen is my go-to place for reading. I love to read here because of the atmosphere and overall layout of the bakery. You’re embraced by the smell of fresh bread and enveloped in the soft chatter of your neighbours. I found a home away from home.
I love to read in unexpected places and I often curl up in corners or just hide somewhere so I can read without disturbances. This is the apple tree under which I liked to read as a child. It was planted by my uncle who passed away last year, so I might take up reading under this tree again.
I like to read in the garden surrounded by the calm of nature. I am often distracted by to-do lists and electronics inside. The sun on my skin and a book in hand equals happiness.
Beatrice T 28, Sweden, librarian @aspiderpigsreadings
Leslie Z 49, USA, entertainer @lesliezemeckis
SQUIRE TRELAWNEY, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17 and go back to the time when my father kept the Admiral Benbow inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof. I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow—a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man, his tarry pigtail falling over the shoulder of his soiled blue coat, his hands ragged and scarred, with black, broken nails, and the sabre cut across one cheek, a dirty, livid white. I remember him looking round the cover and whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old sea-song that he sang so often afterwards: ‘Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest—Yo-hoho, and a bottle of rum!’ in the high, old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and broken at the capstan bars. Then he rapped on the door with a bit of stick like a handspike that he carried, and when my father appeared, called roughly for a glass of rum. This, when it was brought to him, he drank slowly, like a connoisseur, lingering on the taste and still looking about him at the cliffs and up at our s i g n b o a r d . ‘This is a handy cove,’ says he at length; ‘and a pleasant sittyated g r o g - s h o p . Much company, mate?’ My father told him no, very little company, the more was the pity. ‘Well, then,’ said he, ‘this is the berth for me. Here you, matey,’ he cried to the man who trundled the barrow; ‘bring up alongside and help up my chest. I’ll stay here a bit,’ he continued. ‘I’m a plain man; rum and bacon and eggs is what I want, and that head up there for to watch ships off. What you mought call me? You mought call me captain. Oh, I see what you’re at— there”; and he threw down three or four gold pieces on the threshold. ‘You can tell me when I’ve worked through that,’ says he, looking as fierce as a commander. And indeed bad as his clothes were and coarsely as he spoke, he had none of the appearance of a man who sailed before the mast, but seemed like a mate or skipper accustomed to be obeyed or to strike. The man who came with the barrow told us the mail had set him down the morning before at the Royal George, that he had inquired what inns there were along the coast, and hearing ours well spoken of, I suppose, and described as lonely, had chosen it from the others for his place of residence. And that was all we could learn of our guest. He was a very silent man by custom. All day he hung round the cove or upon the cliffs with a brass telescope; all evening he sat in a corner of the parlour next the fire and drank rum and water very strong. Mostly he would not speak when spoken to, only look up sudden and fierce and blow through his nose like a fog-horn; and we and the people who came about our house soon learned to let him be. Every day when he came back from his stroll he would ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road. At first we thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him ask this question, but at last we began to see he was desirous to avoid them. When a seaman did put up at the Admiral Benbow (as now and then some did, making by the coast road for Bristol) he would look in at him through the curtained door before he entered the parlour; and he was always sure to be as silent as a mouse when any such was present. For me, at least, there was no secret about the matter, for I was, in a way, a sharer in his alarms. He had taken me aside one day and promised me a silver fourpenny on the first of every month if I would only keep my ‘weather-eye open for a seafaring man with one leg’ and let him know the moment he appeared. Often enough when the first of the month came round and I applied to him for my wage, he would only blow through his nose at me and stare me down, but before the week was out he was sure to think better of it, bring me my four-penny piece, and repeat his orders to look out for ‘the seafaring man with one leg.’ How that personage haunted my dreams, I need scarcely tell you. On stormy nights, when the wind shook the four corners of the house and the
© saranoelphotography
Reading
Retreats
Do you dream of immersing yourself in reading without distraction? Well, now you can on a reading retreat Literary pampering delight
Reading Retreat, described as a “literary pampering delight”, consists of a three night stay by one of the UK’s many seaside spots. The schedule for a weekend is as follows: tea, coffee and cakes welcome you on arrival at around 5pm, followed by a three course meal every night. You are encouraged to read at the table or they will happily make you a tray for your room. Breakfast with a book is served between 8am and 10am with lunch at 1pm and a list of snacks is available to choose from. You are invited to take part in a daily walk with co-founder Cressida Downing at 2pm to refresh your brain, ready for more reading. You also get the chance to meet a guest author on the Saturday evening. In the past they have welcomed Penny Hancock to Thorpeness who is author of
The creators of reading retreat take escaping with a book very seriously
© saranoelphotography
the best-selling novel Tideline. During March, writer of so-called women’s fiction, and author of Pandora’s Box, Giselle Green joined them in Kent and in April critically acclaimed crime and thriller writer Chris Ewan, who is best known for writing Safe House, joined them in Somerset. Meanwhile, Sunday Times best-selling novelist and scriptwriter George Mann will be making an appearance at the Lincolnshire retreat in June.
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calming getaway by the sea where all your needs are catered for, leaving you time for reading. Sound like a booklover’s version of heaven? This is Reading Retreat, a service exclusively devoted to making reading a priority. “Imagine not having to stop to prepare meals or answer emails. No interruptions, no phones, no access to those must-do jobs around the home. Most importantly, absolutely NO guilt about just sitting and reading,” reads the organisor’s website. Established last year, Reading Retreat offers a short break in a peaceful location where everyday distractions are taken care of. Instead of worrying when you need to put the book down, you can read to your heart’s content. Who even knew these existed? You truly can escape with, and into, book with this bespoke trip.
Rabbit Proof Fence
by Doris Pilkington The award winning author tells the remarkable true story of three young girls who cross the harsh Australian Desert to return to their home.
You are also given a surprise goody bag at the end of your stay.
Is reading the best medicine?
It stands a chance that you already have shelves full of books, but you might be looking for inspiration or something new to read. Reading Retreat founders, Cressida Downing and Sara Noël, also offer a personalised Reading Prescription tailored to you. Following a one-to-one discussion with you, they prepare a tailored reading list for you to help you escape mentally. The pair also provide a bookshop card with their suggestions so you can easily locate the books prior to your stay. They say: “The best medicine in the world is a good book and a comfy chair. Reading puts your mind in a space other pastimes don’t,” adds Cressida. At each location there is also always a peaceful room where you can immerse yourself in reading.
Prioritise reading
Cressida, otherwise known as The Book Analyst, is one half of the duo behind Reading Retreat and is passionate about the project. The self-confessed reading addict admits she would rather buy books over clothes. The 45-year-old literary consultant explains she started Reading
House manager, Sara (left), and Cressida (right) are co-founders of Reading Retreat ©saranoelphotography
Retreat because she wasn’t reading as much as she wanted and longed for a holiday where she could be looked after and focus her attention on reading. “On a family holiday, books are competing with additional things for your time. They are not geared up to take away interaction,” she says.Here we take the social stigma out of that, she explains, if you are chatting at the table and have had enough, you can simply go off and read. They have up to seven Reading Retreats per year. Past breaks include a trip to Suffolk in November ‘17. A visit to Thorpeness in February is the first Retreat this year.
2018 eats g Retr n i d a e R
shire incoln L : n o i ne Locat 11th Ju e: 8thts t h a g i D n for 3 s or dation th st York ommo ay to Friday c c ion: Ea h or 25th-28 A t a c d s o • e L t u 4 T 2 r t e s 1 eith day Date: 2 er refresh to Mon b m Friday s, snacks and with e t p e S ine meal w l ire g l n A i • fordsh 16th No(includ : Here n ht o i ments n 3 t o 1 a i t 9-12 Loc th or scrip ) 2 r e 1 r e P n h n t le here g i 9 y n d t i : s d e t a e a s e D R ou ilored r (no h • Ta dy Bag vembe th) ning i jo r 2 o o 1 o th • G or 9thhed au 019, publis e for 2 l b a l i a • A for dinner av gs are o.uk you Bookin ingretreat.c erson p r e p d a 50 visit re om £4 start fr Prices
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Cressida claims although the Retreats are situated in nice locations, you don’t feel like you are missing out on any of the local attractions.Professional photographer and cook Sara, is the house manager. She makes sure all your needs are met and that you don’t have to lift a finger other than to turn the page in a book. Cressida and Sara also travel to the locations with their guests.
“The best medicine in the world is a good book” Kellie Thorne attended the very first Reading Retreat in Suffolk. The 41-year-old claims it was one of the most luxurious and indulgent weekends she has ever experienced.“Just being able to read non-stop and guilt-free was incredibly soul enriching. I would definitely encourage others to go on a Reading Retreat, she says. “It is a wonderful example of selfcare.” The upcoming Retreat in Lincoln sold out within 24 hours and they expect to sell out for the rest of the year. Escape on a literary adventure with a Reading Retreat today! Visit readingretreat.co.uk or phone 01223 862978 to begin your retreat. Words: Gemma Harris
A Commuter’s guide
EXPLORE
to the dark edge of the wild If you want to get your adrenaline flowing on the way to work this week, our guide will give you five more reasons not to go into the woods at night…
Monday
finished
The Half-Skinned Steer – Annie Proulx Length: 22 pages Alongside Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx’s famous collection of short stories in Wyoming contains this gem. A former ranch hand drives halfway across America to attend his brother’s funeral, and yet through a mix of flashbacks and diversions realises that his own fate is hanging in the balance. Available in Annie Proulx’s short story collection Close Range: Wyoming Stories.
TUESDAY
finished
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Washington Irving Length: 38 pages The old school classic that spawned a 1999 film adaptation, this piece of 19th century Gothic horror stars Ichabod Crane as a superstitious schoolmaster vying for the hand of a local heiress. Things come to a head when, having spent the evening at a party listening to local folk legends, Ichabod returns home through the forest - and gets a nasty surprise. Available as part of Irving’s collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
WEDNESDAY
finished
The Most Dangerous Game - Richard Connell Length: 48 pages Another day, another classic. A big-game hunter falls overboard and washes up on a deserted Caribbean island. The island does, in fact, have two inhabitants: Cossack aristocrats Zaroff and Ivan. Whereas our protagonist has made his name hunting wildlife, his new colleagues only hunt man. Available on Amazon.co.uk finished
THURSday
Pork – Cris Freddi Length: 220 pages Forget those cuddly woodland critters from your childhood; Pork takes a colourful band of forest wildlife and makes them behave in the remorseless manner that only nature has. While the book itself is standard length, each of the short stories within this darkly fascinating tale can be read separately or linked together within this truly dog eat hedgehog world. Available on Amazon.co.uk
FRIday
finished
The Whaler – Steve Roach Length: 42 pages Set in 1852, this viscerally thrilling tale of a particularly meanspirited whaling captain will keep you riveted throughout. For, while mankind often presumes to rule the oceans, the truth is that there are things in the depths that are best left undisturbed. Available on Amazon.co.uk Words: Daniel Gibson
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t’s cold and dark. You’re commuting home from work on the last train of the evening, staring out the frosted windows as the trees whip past. There’s something about the wild, its deep unknowns and untameable otherness that has always had a firm hold on the human psyche. So here are five gripping stories of the outdoors, each short enough to be read in a single day. Tick them off as you step into the wilderness this week!
NEON PILGRIM
by Lisa Dempster What do you do when your life needs a shake-up? Lisa’s escape from the daily ennui into a1200 km Buddhist pilgrimage makes for a fascinatingly bold tale.
Beckett IN Berlin Go With Me continues its journey through the world’s literary cities and the writers that walked their streets
S
amuel Beckett was born in Dublin in the early 20th century. He rose to prominence as the writer of such plays as Waiting For Godot and Human Wishes before he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969. Beckett visited many places within Europe including Berlin. Take a late night stroll down Pappelallee, a quiet residential backwater in Berlin’s ‘poor-but-sexy’ Prenzlauer Berg, and you’re likely to come across a glowing monochrome effigy of Samuel Beckett. Framed and surrounded by velvet curtains in an otherwise dark shopfront, there’s something at once deeply haunting and utterly confusing about coming across the Irish playwright, sans torso, casting a blank stare
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onto the empty street. It’s the kind of comic encounter we might expect Beckett to have written himself, reminiscent of the solitary mouth that comprises Not I, or Clov’s ‘fixed gaze, tonelessly’ in Endgame. But for those in the know, there is more to be discovered. To the left of Beckett’s portrait lies a small bell, operated by a hanging rope. Pull it, and wait. A door will open, and you will be welcomed into the smoky haze that is Beckett’s Kopf. Beckett was no stranger to Berlin. He first travelled to the capital in late 1936, spending a little over a month as a part of his six-month tour of Germany, a journey he catalogued meticulously in six comically-sized notebooks. Many of his entries were written while sitting in a neighbourhood Lokal [pub] or Weinstube [wine bar], his brooding thoughts turned to written expression with the help of an alcoholic lubricant (or several). Recording nearly every encounter, from his meetings with banned artists to childhood reminiscences and disparaging comments on the Nazi regime, the diaries offer an unadulterated peep into the mind of the young writer. At 30 years old, Beckett was effectively unknown; his first poem had only just been published, and no publisher wished to risk taking on his most recent completed work, Murphy. But the city and language would stay with him. Beckett
returned to Berlin frequently in his later years, even directing a number of his plays, including Happy Days and Waiting for Godot, only four kilometres south at the Schiller Theatre. Becketts Kopf translates as ‘Beckett’s Head,’ and entering this dimly-lit space, rich with cigar smoke, it all makes sense. The bar’s own tagline (‘Bar zur Verfeinerung der Sinne’) promises a ‘refinement of the senses,’ from the satisfying clink of ice being cut to size, to the poetic names and descriptions of each drink. Becketts Kopf is half-kitsch, half-homage. German editions of his work come interleaved with details of the small range of intricately crafted cocktails on offer. Served in vintage glassware, these are drinks from an earlier time—short, delicate and strong. Locally-produced craft spirits provide the base for many drinks here, adorned with delicate garnishes, herbs and flowers. A few intoxicating hours inside Becketts Kopf, surrounded by gentle jazz and anonymous murmur, is all you need to be transported back to an earlier time. It’s the kind of place where you might expect to bump into Samuel Beckett himself; hunkered over the bar in the early hours, pen in hand.
EXPLORE
Words: Callum Hale Thomson, Cambridge University Beckett Scholar and Global Community Manager for Cool Cousin
EXPLORE LITERARY BERLIN
Bebelplatz Witness the empty bookshelves still remaining from the Nazi literature purge
The Grimm Zentrum Library The library is open to the public and is named for the Brothers Grimm
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Beckett’s Kopf Visit Beckett’s Kopf, named for the Irish playwrite and enjoy a drink as he watches over
THRU-HIKING WILL BREAK YOUR HEART by Carrot Quinn
An internet addict’s hike through Mexico to Canada in a desperate attempt to reconnect with those around her.
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HOURS IN
LITERARY
Edinburgh Scotland’s impact on English literature is undisputed, and nowhere is this more evident than in the country’s capital city of Edinburgh. There’s almost too much to see to fit everything into one weekend, but here’s our guide to the best way to soak up
literary Edinburgh (with a quick trip to the Scottish Borders into the bargain) in 48 hours. With museums, cafes and even a literary pub crawl, our guide should satisfy the demands of any book lover planning to visit the city.
Saturday
12:30PM: Lunch at The Elephant House, 21 George IV Bridge (below) This Cafe has become an Edinburgh institution thanks to being hailed as “The Birthplace of Harry Potter.” It was one of many cafe’s in which J.K Rowling penned the early Harry Potter novels and is the perfect place to grab a tea or coffee and a bite to eat for lunch.
9:00AM: The Edinburgh Book Shop, 219 Bruntsfield Place Start the day with a trip to the city’s cosy, award winning independent book shop, whose “emphasis is on unusual, intelligent and topical selections of titles.” Peruse to your hearts content before catching a 23 bus into the city centre. 10:30AM: The Writer’s Museum, Lawnmarket, Lady Stair’s Close (below) The museum contains artefacts celebrating three of Scotland’s most famous writers: Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott. It includes first editions, portraits, personal items and much more. There’s no cost to the museum, but donations are welcome.
1:30PM: Edinburgh Book Lovers’ Tour Departing from outside the Writer’s Museum, this 90 minute guided walking tour takes in the haunts and birthplaces of many of the great liteary heroes of the city, including Ian Rankin, Muriel Spark and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 3:30PM: McNaughtan’s Book Shop and Gallery, 3a & 4a Haddington Place McNaughtan’s is the oldest second-hand bookshop in Edinburgh and buys and sells loads of rare and collectible books. Check out the collection and the gallery space before the shop closes at 5 o’clock.
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BONUS: Our other reccommendations are open all year round, but if you visit Edinburgh during August be sure to check out The Edinburgh International Book Festival which will this year take place from 11-27 August. The festival has been running since 1983 and plays host to a series of Meet the Author events, literary debates and workshops for children in Charlotte’s Square in the New Town. 5:30PM: Dinner at Frankenstein’s, 26 George IV Bridge A horror themed pub whose decor is heavily influenced by the Mary Shelley novel it is named after, including regular appearances of the pub’s own Frankenstein’s monster. Grab a burger or fish and chips and enjoy the unique atmosphere. 7:30PM: The Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour, starting at The Beehive Inn, 18-20 Grassmarket The tour is led by two fictional characters, Clart and McBrain, who “in a lively duel of wits, question the importance which the unique pub atmosphere offered creative and intellectual thought.” Enjoy, but be sure not to drink too much - there’s a busy day ahead tomorrow! You’ll need to buy a ticket in advance, they cost £12. Student tickets are £9.
EXPLORE
Sunday
10:00AM: The Scott Monument Start the day by braving the climb up the city’s famous Scott Monument. The winner of an architectural competition launched in 1836 to honour Sir Walter Scott, it is the largest monument in the world dedicated to a writer. Pay £5 to visit the museum and enjoy the views.
6:00PM: Dinner at The Conan Doyle, 71-73 York Place This pub is just across the road from the birthplace of the author from which it gets its name (where you can find a statue in his honour). The pub is packed with Sherlock Holmes themed material and a great deal of information relating to his creator. Plus there’s a great selection of ales and pub food too! 7:30PM: Take in a play at one of Edinburgh’s Theatres This will depend on exactly when you plan your visit, but Edinburgh is a city full of theatres, especially during the Edinburgh Festival, which takes place throughout August and sees many spaces across the city converted into temporary theatres for the month. But even away from the festival, at any given time there’s bound to be a great selection of shows to see, often with clear literary links. What better way of rounding up the weekend than by taking in some great theatre? Words: Patrick Cremona
Elsewhere in
Scotland
It’s not just Edinburgh that is littered with literature - here’s our pick of the best sites elsewhere in Scotland:
1. J.M. Barrie's birthplace, Angus
The Peter Pan creator was born and brought up in Kirriemuir, Angus. His childhood home is now the site of an exhibition about his early life, including manuscripts, original theatrical costumes and the writing desk Barrie used when he first started working on Peter Pan.
2. Scotland's National Book Town, Wigtown
Wigtown, situated in the southern county of Dumfries and Galloway, was established as Scotland’s National Book Town in 1998 in an attempt to revive an extremely depressed town whose main employers (a creamery and a distillery) had just closed. It’s home to a large number of second-hand book shops and hosts various book related events.
3. Robert Burns birthplace museum, Ayrshire
The museum for Scotland’s national bard is a five star visitor attraction according to the Scottish Tourist Board. It includes over 5,000 artefacts and manuscripts, a chance to visit the cottage in which Burns was born, and a cafe serving haggis, neeps and tatties - plus much more.
4. Brownsbank Cottage, Biggar
The cottage is best known as the home of poet Hugh McDiarmid until his death in 1978. During his life there McDiarmid was visited by such big names as Alan Ginsberg and Seamus Heaney. Since his death the cottage has been home to a writer in residence, normally a Lowland Scots language poet.
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12:00M: Trip to Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott This trip will take up the bulk of the day, as it involves a train journey to the Scottish Borders. You’ll need to take a train from Edinburgh Waverley to Galashiels (be sure to take a book for the journey) then a bus from Galashiels to Melrose, and a ten minute walk from there to Abbotsford (the whole journey should take about an hour and a quarter.) Entrance costs £11 and includes access to the house and gardens. There’s also a cafe where you can enjoy lunch. Spend a few hours exploring the house before returning to Edinburgh just in time for the evening meal.
Pickets and Dead Men: Seasons on Rainier by Bree Loewen
Bree Loewen, a female park ranger, tells her story of being a lone ranger in a man’s world with true humour and grit.
Wom-
Cover Section
There’s change in the air. Women are powerfully reclaiming their identities and telling their side of the story. Fiction is beginning to reflect this cultural shift. Writers are creating female characters who explore and venture where women have been historically prohibited to go. They’re telling the story of their experiences as women and of the great outdoors. Go With Me wants to celebrate women owning their strength and crushing the tired stereotype of the irrational, wild woman. Here, we explore the new face of the wild in fiction; meet the brilliant women behind the books and explore what it means to be a wild woman.
Women in the wild
blazing the f e m a l e t ra i l
Abi Andrews, author of the debut novel The Word for Woman is Wilderness, is creating HERstory by feminising the traditionally male story of the wild
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ve broke the silence. While Adam was basking in the sun surrounded by magisterial nature, God, so the story goes, had the cheek to remove his rib and grow him a companion who would henceforward be the embodiment of broken solitude, of society. Of all that wilderness was not. Yet, because woman was not man (since Man is used to refer to humanity as a whole), she was immediately the wild other, feverish and irrational. “Women are both excluded from, and banished to, nature,” Erin, the teenage lead of The Word for Woman is Wilderness, muses in the debut novel’s opening pages.
By being composed of opposites she is squeezed out of existence. At worst she is rendered a non-entity; at best something incomplete. The narrative of the wilderness, like much else, has been male dominated through time. Henry David Thoreau, the 19th century essayist, poet and philosopher marks the cornerstone of the man-in-the-wild narrative. He went to live in the wild for two years in unbroken solitude, and wrote about his experience in 1854’s Walden. “Thoreau is arguably the originator of the myth of the solo man in the wilderness,” writes Kate Tuttle for The Atlantic. James “Grizzly” Adams is another famed 19th century mountain man, who, so the story goes, received a skull wound from a bear he was training. Just as it began to heal, a monkey bite led to meningitis and he died soon after. Everett Reuss is another, and was a big inspiration for Chris McAndless (of John Krakauer’s Into the Wild fame) who also went out into the wilderness and died there. After asking friends whether they thought the notion of going out, alone,
appealed to them, Kate Tuttle met a 50/50 split. She describes the discrepancy as “between those who think it sounds wonderful to be travel solo through an unpeopled landscape (mostly men) and those who think it sounds boring, uncomfortable, terrifying, or just plain dumb (mostly women).” She asks “Could this be about gender?” Kate gives credit to the “amazing women” who’ve been amongst the ranks of explorers, but is troubled by the maleness of exploration stories. Abi Andrews, the 26 year old author from the midlands, has asked these selfsame questions and has had enough. Her first novel was published by Serpents Tail in February, and arose out of an experience she shares with her her protagonist, Erin, a teenager in sixth form. Early on in the novel Erin realises when watching TV and reading books that she’s almost always had to unconsciously append an imaginary penis in order to imagine herself in her hero’s position. This is thrown into striking, angry relief when she watches Into the Wild, a film about the explorer Chris McCandless. The experience catalyses her fiercely feminist journey north to
“Women are both excluded from, and banished to, nature”
Alaska. Her travels take her to a fishing boat, an uncomfortable male encounter or two and brings new friends, but she eventually ends up alone in a cabin in the woods. She is determined to finally be a woman in the wild. Her long journey is vibrant with humour (she cleverly uses a tampon as a fishing hook when seeking out food), but in her solitude she asks herself raw, fundamental questions and almost gets lost in the process: Who are we? What are we looking for? Why has so much been kept from women? She wonders whether women are able to ever be in solitude since they’ve internalised the male gaze such that even in solitude they’re watching themselves. This is reinforced by Erin’s repeated fears that she is not doing the journey right. Abi tells us: “Erin is often uncomfortable and doubtful about her authority as a voice... in the sense of being aware of her view-from-a-body. She knows the itch of being under the male gaze, as a woman. This makes her uneasy. She in turn reflected the gaze onto others, onto other less privileged women, and onto the natural world. Women are watching themselves being watched. Which is a rather disorienting volley of gazes.” By being relatable Erin powerfully feminises the wilderness narrative: she invites us in, even though in so doing she breaks her own solitude. She isn’t above us like the self-interested and self-pitying man of the wild, but of us. The desire to share is intricately bound up with the information-saturated 21st century in which she does her journey and in which it’s increasingly difficult
to go unseen. She frequently references outer space, perhaps the last great wilderness, and it is impossible to not think of the satellites orbiting us and mapping us from afar. Yet this sharing also acts as a recurrent clue to the novel’s moral core and Erin’s epiphany. Male exploration, she realises, has been a colonial, individualist act. She writes that the mountain men were born from “a healthy white man’s ideal.” Erin writes: “The self-willed man takes care of his own freedom while taking no care over anybody else’s.” Erin discovers James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis’s Gaia hypothesis, based on Gaia, Greek goddess of Earth. It suggests that the world is a regulating system where organic and inorganic matter communicate. The rivers are its veins, as well as the webbed, sprawling networks of roots under foot. Gaia is a woman who doesn’t see herself separate to everything. Abi tells Go With Me: “At the heart of it it’s about 4th wave feminism, which wants to do away with gender reductionism for everyone, to the benefit of everyone, men included.” Adam named the animals of Eden, Erin writes, and thought himself apart. Abi wanted Erin to be without entitlement and to be a pioneer of a different, revolutionary approach to nature. She tells us: “Her uncertainty was important to me in terms of decolonising the narratives of both the white and the western, the male, and the human, as centre of the universe.” In contrast to historical treatments of the wilderness, womanhood is not defined by power, control and exclusion. Neither is the wilderness.What’s important, Andrews thinks, is acknowledging how far revered male narratives have taken us and where reclaimed womanhood can now take us. For women, wilderness is shared. We are part of it and it a part of us. It is not “out there” but here, all around us, where we sit right now.
“The self-willed man takes care of his own freedom while taking no care over anybody else’s”
Abi says: “Really, the title is a provocation. I hope it does invite many men to read it, as a challenge.”
Words: Lauren Brown Credit: YouTube
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Abi recommends Catherine Poulain - Woman at Sea The opening line of this book captivated Abi and inspired her own novel: ‘You should always be trying to get to Alaska, but getting there, what’s the point?’
Penguin £14.99
Deborah Levy - Hot Milk Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2016, this novel explores the complex relationship between mother and daugher. A hypnotic and gripping journey into the depths of womanhood.
Penguin £8.99
Maggie Nelson - The Argonauts This genre-bending memoir tackles love, desire, gender and sexuality, all orbiting around the work’s romantic core: Maggie’s relationship with artist Harry Dodge.
Melville House £8.78 (amazon)
ADVENTURES WITH
Cover Section
a wild sleeper
Be inspired by Phoebe Smith, a woman who has befriended the wilderness
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oing into the wild, be it the mountains, the forests or the Arctic poles of the earth, is usually considered a terrifying concept. More so if you’re doing it alone. But Phoebe Smith, adventurer and author, is here to tell you otherwise. Partially agreeing with the above, she had this to add: “It is scary the first few times but then the wonderful things happen – the perfect sunset, the star filled sky from a summit, the cloud inversion, the close encounter with wildlife or the hoarfrost on your tent being melted by the rising sun. Your fears just begin to lessen, until, one day, you realise you’re not scared anymore.” Although she grew up with the mountains her backyard on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park, she had never trekked up one until she went swag (bedroll) camping in the middle of the Australian Outback. After this fearsome, venomous-insect-ridden endeavor, there was no looking back. What pulls her back in time again is the freedom she experiences out in the wilderness. Every aspect of nature from the rocks and forests to the oceans and glaciers, treats you the same regardless of your gender, age, or physicality.
As Phoebe puts it: “It rains on everyone. For me it’s the ultimate leveller. A blank canvas on which to imprint yourself and be whatever it is you are.” She also mentions the many lessons she learnt on her adventures, each stemming from the revelation that she could do whatever she puts her mind to. It’s understandable to be afraid of unfamiliar places or new faces, but she tells us that going forth into the unknown is the best way to open your mind and realise that the world is a wonderful place. It’s filled with remarkable people, each with stories to tell.
“It teaches you so much about the world and so much more about yourself” - Phoebe Smith
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Speaking of her travels, she considers her favourite place to be Antarctica. More specifically, the islands of South Georgia. “Penguins, penguins and more penguins,” she says, “plus whales, seals, huge albatross and mountains, glaciers and raw wilderness on a level my brain couldn’t even compute. Add to that Shackleton’s grave and I was truly in my element.” Phoebe has also written several books, her latest Britain’s Best Small Hills was published in September last year. The challenge of creating a book motivates her the most, she says: “I loved seeing it form, I loved learning about the editing process and the moment I saw it as an actual physical ‘thing’ made me feel as proud as a parent being handed their first baby!” A self proclaimed lover of words, she describes when the romance began: “When I was little I saw a book in my mum’s study called Words Were Originally Magic. That phrase captured my imagination. To think that by weaving together words, by telling stories, I could – in my own way – be magical, it was the spark I needed.” If you’re an aspiring writer, Phoebe suggests that above all, you must love words and writing. Although competition and hardship is an inevitability along with rejection, discouragement and a depleting faith in oneself, giving up is not an option. As Phoebe says, “Most of us will never be millionaires from doing this, but we will be rich in so many other ways.” “If you want it badly enough you will make it work,” Pheobe explains, “don’t forget that the difference between the writers who made it and those who don’t is the ones that made it never gave up…” In today’s world, solitude has become ever harder to find and to be comfortable with, but exploring the outdoors is definitely a worthy way to go about it. If you should find the need to escape the increasingly speedy routine of daily life, pack your bags and a tent (perhaps a book as well!) and discover the world instead. As Phoebe says, “Just allow yourself to be, and be happy about it.”
Phoebe’s favourite books Robert Macfarlane’s The Wild Places
“I just let his words rush all over me as though I’m standing under a waterfall.”
Nan Shepherd’s The Living Mountain “My go-to for mountains.”
Douglas Adams’s and Mark Carwardine’s Last Chance to See and Carwardine’s On the Trail of the Whale
“My go-to for wildlife.”
Words: Anjali Balasubramaniam Photos: Phoebe Smith
Phoebe ready for another adventure
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A Literary Podcast Listen now on SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/gowithus or jomec.co.uk/gowithme
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The 52 Book Challenge is Go With Me magazine’s very own book club, challenging you to read one book for every week of the year. Join the Facebook group, engage with fellow readers and the Go With Me team, and enjoy a year-long journey through some of the finest stories ever told.
WEEK FOURTEEN The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
JUNE
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BOOK CHALLENGE WEEK FIFTEEN The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
WEEK SIXTEEN All the Pretty Horses by Cormac Mccarthy
THIS ISSUE: Week’s 14-26
WEEK SEVENTEEN Dissolution by CJ Sansom
WEEK EIGHTEEN The Man Who Spoke Snakish by Andrus Kvirahk
WEEK NINETEEN
JULY
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
WEEK TWENTY The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
WEEK TWENTY-TWO
Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig
AUGUST
WEEK TWENTY-ONE WEEK TWENTY-THREE Mort by Terry Pratchett
WEEk TWENTY-FOUR The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
WEEK TWENTY-FIVE The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
WEEK TWENTY-SIX Circe by Madeline Miller
Witches of the Wilderness Feminine figures of wild witches from classic to contemporary literature Words : Sophie King
T
he way witches have been framed within literature and society, has been refashioned over time. The term ‘witch’ derives from the Old English noun, ‘wicca’ which means ‘wise woman’, ultimately distinguishing between the two genders as, during the famous witch trials, women were predominantly the accused. In later years however, ‘wicca’ became ‘wicche’, a thankfully genderless definition. When picturing a witch, the image seems self-evident. They wear pointy hats, are green, extremely ugly with pointy noses, they fly around on broomsticks and enjoy gobbling on the flesh of children. Above all, they practice magic. Creating potions and concoctions of curses and general wickedness. They are women who do not adhere to societal norms and are therefore detached from communities. The witch is a wild woman. But now it seems, that the witches we once thought were foul, evil and vindictive, are actually powerful, beautiful and free. From classic to contemporary literature, the once ostracised witch is now someone who can harness her power. The movement of the new witch appears to be reclaiming the perception of what it means to be one. A modern witch is still said to be wild, but instead embraces the mystical element of womanhood. In classic literature like Macbeth, the Three Witches were renowned for their weird and troubling traits. Written at a time where opinion on witchcraft bordered hysteria, the Three Witches set the standard for spooky witchery. They were evil and enjoyed harming animals or ‘killing swine’ as it was put. In Greek Mythology, Circe was a witch written in Homer’s Odyssey. She was breathtakingly beautiful but feared by many. She would lure her enemies into her grasp, before transforming them into pigs
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through the use of magical herbs and potions. The combination of sexual allure and raw wildness made Circe a horrifying witch to behold for the people of ancient Greece. However, today, the word ‘feminist’ and ‘witch’ seem almost interchangeable. Now, a witch hunts ‘wrongdoers’, using her power to combat the evil happenings in the world. April Graham from Sabat Magazine, a publication based on modern witchcraft, describes a witch as being someone ‘who stands against patriarchy and everything that is currently wrong with our society and any society throughout the ages.’ A witch is a goddess and her wildness is an image of cultural progression. In modern literature the image of the witch has also progressed into a wild but wonderful woman. In Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, Kasia is a beautiful and graceful witch, with only the intent to do good in the world. She finds herself having to fight against the ruler of her misogynistic world, a wizard who takes in a different girl to live with every 10 years. Yet, in The Wizard of Oz, it is the Wicked Witch of the West who is isolated and therefore deemed evil. Her pointy hat, green skin and ugly warts imply that she is wicked, but there are stories of her yearning for a normal life but it was her aesthetic that did not let her. She was instead perceived as too wild, too ugly and too wicked. Modern literature has allowed the image of the Witch
to change, like we see in The Witch of Portobello. Paulo Coelho paints the image of a witch named Athena, who is on a quest for love and spirituality. In her pursuit for enlightenment and escapism, she hopes to find a more inclusive and harmonious understanding of her spiritual longing. Instead of being knocked down and shackled for her magical powers, she instead becomes a spiritual and controversial leader. Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series might be classed as one of the most outspoken yet good witches out there. She is a praised feminist figure, evoking female power and knowledge to fight evil. In Hermione, a witch is a person who takes responsibility for her own transformation through acts of ritual, creativity and focused intention. She only does good and is recognised as an integral part in the wizarding world. For thousands of years the mythology of the witch was just a toxic projection of societal norms, that was ultimately reinforced by fear. She was a wild woman and still is a wild woman but what we take away from that has changed. It is not so much that the ‘witch’ has changed but more so the interpretation of the word. How we see a label can define how we see the person. If we see a witch as a powerful and wild woman, then we should not fear her. Like Professor Dumbledore once said in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, “Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.”
“But now it seems, that the witches we once thought were foul, evil and vindictive, are actually powerful, beautiful and free.”
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The Witches from Macbeth gather
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Travelling alone? A book can become your travel buddy
A book is your perfect travel companion, they don’t run out of battery and they don’t need charging. Kat Stokes shares what she loves the most about bringing books on her travels.
Pocket LED Magnifier £5.99 from Waterstones
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Words: Filiz Mehmedova
Bookpacking essentials
Book Stand Pillow £15.95 from Ebay
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One of her most striking moments was when she read The Warrior of Light by Paulo Coelho just before her first big solo trip. “I read it in one day and the words hit me so close,” Kat says, “it was one of the books that pivoted me into a direction of clarity.” Even if you are not in the position to physically travel the world, you can always travel to places through the books you read. As a reader, you are able to walk in an author’s shoes, explore the world through their eyes and discover unknown paths with your own mind. For now, you can take a journey through a book which could still be an opportunity to have an epic adventure. Travel Journal £13 from Amazon
Sprout Bookmark £4.99 from Waterstones
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hen you pack a book in your rucksack before heading out on your next adventure, something extraordinary happens. You’ve made the first step to taking two different journeys - one with your backpack and your feet, the other with your mind unavoidably being lost within the story of a new book. Books are more than just travel companions to take along with you on your trip, they make your experience more inspiring and bring a sense of comfort and familiarity while you are exploring the wild world.
The physical touch of a book, the ability to turn the pages and see the words on paper are all wonderful reasons to pack a book on your next travel adventure. Kat Stokes, a photographer currently travelling in Tijuana, Mexico, decided to quit her job, move out of her flat, sell everything she owns and just throw herself into the wild world to explore unknown destinations. Kat loves reading during her travels and says that the stories she gets immersed in usually become a part of the environment she is exploring. “Other travellers and locals have spotted my book and referred more books to me, which happens to be the way I choose my next read,” she says.
cameroon with egbert
by Dervla Murphy The adventurous story of a journey through the remote areas of Cameroon undertaken by the author Dervla Murphy and her daughter Rachel.
My father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip, my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip. I give Pirrip as my father’s family name, on the authority of his tombstone and my sister - Mrs. Joe Gargery, who married the blacksmith. As I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them (for their days were long before the days of photographs), my first fancies regarding what they were like, were unreasonably derived from their tombstones. The shape of the letters on my father’s, gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair. From the character and turn of the inscription, ‘Also Georgiana Wife of the Above,’ I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly. To five little stone lozenges, each about a foot and a half long, which were arranged in a neat row beside their grave, and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine - who gave up trying to get a living, exceedingly early in that universal struggle - I am indebted for a belief I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets, and had never taken them out in this state of existence. Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards evening. At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that Philip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden line beyond, was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip.‘Hold your noise!’ cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves at the side of the church porch. ‘Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your throat!’ A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin.‘O! Don’t cut my throat, sir,’ I pleaded in terror. ‘Pray don’t do it, sir.’‘Tell us your name!’ said the man. ‘Quick!’‘Pip, sir.’‘Once more,’ said the man, staring at me. ‘Give itmouth!’‘Pip. Pip, sir.’‘Show us where you live,’ said the man. ‘Pint out the place!’I pointed to where our village lay, on the flat in-shoreamong the alder-trees and pollards, a mile or more from the church. The man, after looking at me for a moment, turned me upside down, and emptied my pockets. There was nothing in them but a piece of bread. When the church came to itself - for he was so sudden and strong that he made it go head over heels before me, and I saw the steeple under my feet - when the church came to itself, I say, I was seated on a high tombstone, trembling, while he ate the bread ravenously.‘You young dog,’ said the man, licking his lips, ‘what fat cheeks you ha’ got.’I believe they were fat, though I was at that time undersized for my years, and not strong. I earnestly expressed my hope that he wouldn’t, and held tighter to the tombstone on which he had put me; partly, to keep myself upon it; partly, to keep myself from crying.‘Now lookee here!’ said the man. ‘Where’s your mother?’‘There, sir!’ said I. He started, made a short run, and stopped and looked over his shoulder.‘There, sir!’ I timidly explained. ‘Also Georgiana. That’s my mother.’‘Oh!’ said he, coming back. ‘And is that your father alonger your mother?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ said I; ‘him too; late of this parish. ‘Ha!’ he muttered then, considering. ‘Who d’ye live with - supposin’ you’re kindly let to live, which I han’t made up my mind about?’‘My sister, sir - Mrs. Joe Gargery - wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, sir.’ ‘Blacksmith, eh?’ said he. And looked down at his leg.After
THE
BIRTH
OF A
MONSTER As FRANKENSTEIN reaches its 200th birthday, Go With Me unearths the story behind the birth of a monster... Words: Matthew Trask Photo: Filiz Mehmedova
Curiosities
T
he year was 1816 or, as it would soon become known, the year without summer. Snow fell in Quebec in June. The ground in New York was frozen in August and crimson red snow fell over Italy. In the anomalous weather, beneath the oppressively bleak clouds, three of the greatest literary minds stayed in a manor house in Switzerland. The Villa Diodati sits on the south-western shore of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. From June to November of 1816 the house was rented by Lord Byron, who stayed at the residence with fellow writer and physician John Polidori. Nearby, at another house rented on the banks of the lake, were Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley. Due to the weather, which had led to record cold temperatures and violent rain and hail, the four spent three days trapped inside the Villa Diodati. It is in these three days that a literary icon was born. Byron, inspired by the erratic climate, challenged his friends to write a story that would terrify them. It was out of this competition that the early flesh and bone of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was birthed into the world. In January 2018, Frankenstein, turned 200-years-old. Shelley’s magnum opus, the gothic horror novel all but invented the genre of monstrosity as we know it today. Adapted for the screen over 50 times since its publication, the novel has shaped generations of writers and filmmakers, from Mel Brooks to Francis Ford Coppola, who have been influenced by its bloodsoaked reanimation tragedy.
“In the anomalous weather, beneath the oppressively bleak clouds, three of the greatest literary minds stayed in a manor house in Switzerland.”
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The novel focuses on the titular doctor who becomes determined to reanimate a human corpse built from parts taken from the graves of the dead. Unfortunately, when his experiment works, the doctor is so horrified by the juvenile creature he has created, he seeks to destroy it. The creature, a tragic figure despite what some newspapers would have you believe, attempts to learn and understand its own identity, absorbing poetry, art and literature in an effort to define its place in the world. However, the people who interact with the creature are unable to see it as anything other than a monster, seeking to destroy it. Written as an epistolary novel, the book takes the form of various accounts by Doctor Frankenstein, the Creature and those that he interacts with. The narrative was built by Shelley based upon her travels across Europe which culminated in those three days in Geneva in the summer of 1816. Victor Frankenstein gave fire to man and displeased the gods. The fire in question, is life. Doctor Frankenstein gave life to a creature made of dead things leading to the displeasure of the gods who rebelled against the creatures existence. Frankenstein is ultimately the story of a tragic figure who was born a monster, a suit of sewn together flesh and limbs. A child desperate to understand his place in the world. Victor Frankenstein himself emerges as the Prometheus of the novel. The Greek parable goes: Prometheus stole fire from the Gods and gave it to man leading to the birth and advancement of civilisation. As a punishment for his transgression, Prometheus, an immortal, was bound to a rock and would have
his liver eaten by an eagle each day for all of eternity. The visceral nature of Prometheus’ punishment is reflected in the violent journey from death to birth the Creature underwent in Shelley’s novel. Organs, body parts, blood and flesh are integral to human existence and the Creature’s body parts are not his own. He is an amalgam of people with an undefined identity. It’s as though Shelley is saying that the Creature is being punished for his creator’s transgression. Is there a more poignant parable for mankind’s own relationship with God and religion? During that summer of 1816, the source of the strange weather is said to be a volcanic eruption that occured the year before in Indonesia. This led to the record low temperatures as the sky was filled with volcanic ash producing dense clouds that spat rain onto the world. It is easy to see how such a climate could breed a horror story. In Frankenstein, Shelley would write that “Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.” This idea could apply to both the violent shift in weather that inspired the 200-year-old masterpiece and also to the story of the creature itself. Victor Frankenstein stole the power to create life from the Gods to birth a monster. Using the modern invention of electricity, the Doctor reanimated the dead, cheating a notion that had remained constant throughout human history. It was a change the world wasn’t ready for. Like the summer that never came, it was a change that the world would reject, but then again is the world any more open to change today?
The 200th anniversary edition illustrated by David Plunkert
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Women who Run With the Wolves
by Clarissa Estes The story of the ‘wild woman’ and their boundless creativity, passion and energy. If you like The Word For Wilderness is Woman, then you’ll love this.
Follow in the footsteps of...
MARY SHELLEY
T
he Villa Diodati was just one of many stops on Mary Shelley’s literary journey across Europe which served as her inspiration for Frankenstein. During her long trip, which she journaled extensively within the book A History of a Six Weeks’ Tour, she visited the Rhine in Germany where a certain Castle Frankenstein would inspire Shelley.
Shelley spent time in the German town of Darmstadt. Sitting atop a hill, overlooking the town is a gothic castle with a name readers might be familiar with: Castle Frankenstein. The name is derived from the German words ‘Frank’, after the Germanic tribe, and ‘stein’ meaning stone, translating to the Stone of the Franks. The gothic castle sits in ruins on the top of a hill, a fitting home for a monster. The castle (above) served as inspiration for Shelley giving her titular character his name. It is said that Johann Conrad Dippel, an alchemist, was the inspiration behind the
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“The gothic castle sits in ruins on the top of a hill, a fitting home for a monster” character of Victor Frankenstein. While not explicitly mentioned in Shelley’s diary of her trip through Europe, it is known that she took a trip on the Rhine and spent time in Gernsheim, which is ten miles away from the castle. If you want to visit, know that Frankfurt is only 15 miles away from Darmstadt. Frankfurt is home to the Goethe House, home to the renowned German author. At the heart of Frankenstein is the Swiss city of Geneva. One of Switzerland’s major cities, Geneva sits on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, and is the home
of the Villa Diodati. In the eternal night, Shelley, Byron and Percy Shelley read old German folk tales before creating their own nightmares. Sadly, the Villa is now privately owned, only sometimes opened to the public. Its well worth a visit just to bask in the literary history within its walls. Not only does the hot hot sun fling shadows from its walls; it also casts a long literary shadow. As it reaches its 200th birthday, what better way to celebrate it than by visiting the storied places that would inspire her to write Frankenstein?
Faces of Death: The Covers of Frankenstein
Airmont Books Classics Series published in 1963
Designed by Gareth Graham for the Recovering the Classics Project
Designed by T.M. Serlin for the Recovering the Classics Project
Book reel
Curiosities
We began our 52-book challenge in the previous volume of Go With Me with Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, which was recently adapted into a film. Our comprehensive list below will give you a taste of other books set to make their way to the big screens later this year.
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1. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – release date: August 10 Alexandra’s sci-fi thriller series began with her first novel The Darkest Minds. It has a plot that lends itself perfectly to an enthralling cinematic experience. After a disease wipes out the vast majority of America’s children, the surviving few develop superpowers and are kept under control in prison camps. When 16-year-old Ruby escapes she joins forces with a group of fellow teens and tries to evade the clutches of the ruthless government. Alexandra paints a vivid picture of a haunting dystopian world where children face a harsh reality. Stick with the long sections of exposition: this book is worth the journey. Recommended reads: If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games novels by Suzanne Collins, this is the ticket for you. 2. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan – release date: August 17 Kevin Kwan’s best-selling book looks at the lavish culture of wealthy families in Singapore. Told from the perspective of the five main characters in the story, the book revolves around the biggest wedding happening in Singapore between a wealthy bachelor and a fashion icon. Packed full of character and humour, Kwan’s novel is written with a distinctive voice and is often described as an unputdownable reading experience. With a stellar cast including the likes of Constance Wu and Michelle Yeoh, the opulence at the heart of the story will undoubtedly translate well on screen. Recommended reads: If you like the sound of this you will enjoy Sarong Party Girls: A Novel by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan.
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3. Boy Erased by Garrard Conley – release date: September 28 Boy Erased, starring Nicole Kidman and directed by The Gift’s director and actor Joel Edgerton, is based on the coming of-age memoir by Garrard Conley. The story follows the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town who is outed by his parents and told to attend gay conversion therapy or be exiled by his community. Honest, powerful and brave, Conley’s memoir is a profoundly heart-breaking look at love and identity. Interwoven in Conley’s story-telling is a voice of compassion and understanding, and his story is a necessary one that deserves attention. Recommended reads: Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son: A Memoir by Kevin Jennings is another powerful memoir of a man who tries to challenge the anti-LGBT teachings in schools in the conservative South of America. 4. The House with a Clock in Its Wall by J. Bellairs – release date: September 28 The gothic horror novel is making its way to the big screens starring Cate Blanchett and Jack Black, with Cabin Fever and Hostel’s Eli Roth at the director’s helm. A young orphan by the name of Lewis Barnavelt tries to help his magical uncle find a clock that has the power to bring about the end of the world. Full of mystery, intrigue and suspense with smatterings of humour in between, Bellairs gets the blend of magic and horror just right. Even though it was initially marketed towards young readers, older bibliophiles will still get a kick out of it. Recommended reads: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is another fantastic novel with plenty of intrigue. Words: Heather Wald
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THE SOLACE OF OPEN SPACES
by Gretel Ehrlich This collection of lyrical essays explores the landscapes and people of the American West. The author’s observations are filled with depth and charm.
Discover the hid
G ob lin
Painting of Christina Rossetti
How 19th century children’s fiction b “Backwards up the mossy glen
Turn’d and troop’d the goblin men, With their shrill repeated cry, “Come buy, come buy”
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espite being a 19th century poem, Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti continues to be interpreted in new and surprising ways. When the poetess first etched down this poem it was regarded as children’s fiction owing to its fantastical nature and its celebration of filial love between two sisters. However, Dust Palace, New Zealand’s circus theatre company’s retelling of Goblin Market goes in a completely different direction and asks: Is the poem really as innocent as it seems? Or, has the 21st century unearthed the dark connotations that were left codified within the text, a secret message, too disruptive to be said aloud by a Victorian poetess? In the very core of the poem sits the issue of transaction between goblins, symbolic of men and the sisters Laura and Lizzie, symbolic of women. The “goblin men” with their animalistic
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facial features, can be heard luring the sisters to “come buy” their fruits. The poem is littered with biblical references thus making it evident that the theme of temptation runs throughout the text with the women being seduced with the “forbidden fruit”. In exchange for the fruit Laura grudgingly pays with a “precious golden lock” of her hair, which was considered symbolic of a woman’s sexuality during that period. Sexuality sizzles beneath the poem’s innocent facade and the imagined audience transforms under it’s mystique. Dust Palace contemporary touring circus explores these themes, emphasising the passion inherent in the poetess’ words in a world ready to hear them. The overtly sexual language of the poem might also throw you off. While Laura’s sexual desire is made implicit in the way she “sucks” the fruit, Lizzie is man-handled by the goblins when she
d en meanings in
Market
became a 21st century tale of
Curiosities
temptation
goes to them for Laura’s sake. They “Hugg’d her and kiss’d her: Squeez’d and caress’d”, and ask Lizzie to “pluck” and “suck” their fruits. Moreover when she tries to pay them with her silver penny, they refuse to sell her the fruits unless she ate the fruits with them. The issue of consent is highlighted particularly here when her repeated refusal to eat with the goblins is met by an angry and violent reaction from the goblin men. They hustle her, claw her with their nails, maul her, bully her, barking and mocking her for being “uncivil”. The goblins go on to tear down her gown, soil her stocking, pull her hair out by the roots and squeeze the fruits onto her shut mouth to force it in. Needless to say, critics have ventured to point out that this violation of the female body is molestation, symbolic if not real. Finally Lizzie reaches her dying sister Laura, who needed the fruits to revive her but could not hear the men anymore. She asks Laura to kiss her and drink the juices of the fruits from off her body. With powerful sexual imagery, you might wonder if this is merely a show of sisterly affection or an arrangement of a sorority that is independent of men Rossetti creates an intense narrative of two sisters, their temptation for the fruits of goblin men and their final homecoming where they create a self sufficient home. A home brought
“She suck’d and suck’d and suck’d the more Fruits which that unknown orchard bore; She suck’d until her lips were sore” alive with their daughters without any interference from the “market”. The circus retelling adds new shades of meaning to the poem with surprising aerial acts, vibrant lights and intense emotions. We suggest you to risk that comfortably settled conscience of yours to witness this spectacle and revel in the revival of 19th century poetry. For further details of the circus visit: https:// www.thedustpalace.co.nz
Words: Oindrila Gupta
Lizzie and Laura, ‘Golden head by golden head’
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On March 21st, some of the belongings of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes went on sale for those wanting to buy their own piece of literary history. Now, 55 years after Plath’s tragic death in her London home, 300 lots of rare memorabilia went on sale at London auction house Bonhams. The lot was put up for sale by the couple’s daughter, Freida Hughes, who writes that the auction will “enable others to take on the preservation and enjoyment” of her parents belongings. Below, see our picks for some of the most historic and memorable items up for sale.
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Storied items pass hands follow the treasured possesions of writers as they find new homes
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2. The Hawk In The Rain Presentation Copy
Price: £40,000-60,000 Throughout her life, Plath owned four typewriters. The Hermes was her last and is also the machine on which she wrore The Bell Jar. Its serial number suggests it was manufactured in 1959, the year Plath bought it.
Price: £10,000-15,000 This first edition was Hughes’ own copy of his first published collection of poetry. Plath was insturmental in its creation. Hughes’ dedication to Plath reads: “Written to Sylvia, and now presented to her with all my love, Ted.”
4. Virginia Woolf Letters
5. Jane Austen’s Ring
Price: £10,000-15,000 Written a year before Woolf’s suicide, these letters were sent to Philip Morrel, a politican and friend of Woolf who had been diagnosed with a weak heart. In the three-page manscript, she urges Morrel to “go on living.”
Price: £152,450 This turqoise and gold ring was an heirloom of Austen’s family until it was bought in auction by American singer Kelly Clarkson. The sale was blocked, however, and the ring returned to Jane Austen’s House museum in Hampshire.
3. The Bell Jar - Signed and Dated First Edition
Price: £60,000-80,000 Plath’s own copy of her only novel is signed and dated “Christmas 1962”. Plath used her Fitzory Road address, where she moved after splitting from Hughes and wrote poems that would be published posthumously in Ariel. Words: George Griffiths
CORNER
BOOK
1. Hermes 3000 Typewriter
Girl in the Woods by Aspen Matis Reeling from trauma, this book follows Matis’ brave true-life journey as she overcomes the past and finds herself in a solo hike from Mexico to Canda.
POETRY
THE NECKLACE by Gwen Morris
As the dusk half-hit the hall, My hands knew before I did, like a baby’s fist cradled in my own, how small good things can be. I undid the clasp and, grasping at the seconds, drew my breath towards myself as my hands reached out to you. Neither of us looked towards the door until the sun reached through its stained-glass guise, staining us the colour of the dust that hung still like the absence of goodbyes. All this time, against your chest, the necklace stole streams of light and served them to me whole. At the end of the garden path, my hands knew before I did – that we were both left with the aftermath of things that time undid like your silver-spun fingers we’d both known would now uncurl, reaching for my own. Even when your back was turned, when you were gone, I stood at the end of the garden path and I waved on.
Gwen is a teacher and writer from Cardiff
Upon the ridge of morning a misty shadow Sat Entwined in robes of stars he wept; the wind was at his back.
crossing by Lauren Brown
His robes curled all around him whipped from left to right, His twilight eyes twinkled with tears, Painted with his fright. Sitting so close to the drop and edging ever near, His body seemed to shrink and quake, His grey face lined with fear. “I do not want to go just now,” He shouted at the sun, Who crept up over hills and fields “My work is not yet done!” “People aren’t done dreaming, Above their heads I’ve flown, And now you wish to banish me And leave me all alone. No one ever sees me or worships me like you, I dwell in dark and kiss the moon Until my time is through. Must it always end this way, each time the pain so new? My heart it bleeds to leave like this, And give my place to you.” A sad smile shone around sun’s lips and burst the sky in light. After she stopped to think a while And view him in her light. Her loving, outstretched fingers could never get near, And when they brushed his paper skin He began to disappear. Slipping off the ridge edge his arms reached out, His body melted into air, wind swallowing his shouts. They could never be together and this broke the suns heart, So clouds gathered hastily; the heavens soon did part. Her tears streamed thick and fast, Filling the whole sky. She began to disappear herself, So hard did she cry. Draperies of thick cloud muffled her own wailing, But she’d wait here until the time he came around the corner sailing. Each revolution of the sun they get to meet just once, As day and night blend into one; embrace in one last dance. Their bodies flash the sky bright pink And orange streaks the blue, The sun she whispers 3 small words, Night whispers “and I you.”
Meet the author
ed Image cr n it: Suza
Colón
o
An author come yoga teacher reveals how the library became her sanctuary and how a spiritual path led her to release her new book
therwise known as a “spiritual surfer”, Suzan Colón is an author come yoga teacher. Before even learning how to type, Suzan discovered her love for writing.“I have been writing since I could hold a pen,” says the 54-year-old. “I have a clear memory of being home from school with a cold when I was about seven and attempting to write a short story about a teddy bear and a goldfish trading places.”
Books are a girl’s best friend
Suzan comes from a long line of book lovers and claims she naturally gravitated towards reading.“For me, reading and writing went hand in hand, and I loved reading, so I wanted to learn to write like my favourite authors.“My mother read to me before I was even born,” she added. Suzan found comfort in books while she was growing up. During a challenging time when she had problems fitting in, she used reading as an escape. “Books were my best friends” and “the library became my sanctuary,” she proudly admits. As an adult, she reads to grow and for fun. She even credits reading for making her the person she is today. Twenty five years ago while living in Miami Beach, Florida, a book actually ignited her second passion - yoga.“I was browsing through books in one of my favourite bookstores,” Suzan says, “I came across a book called The Complete Yoga Book. In it, the author James Hewitt, had written in depth about breathing and meditation
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Suzan Colón things you didn’t usually see in books about Yoga.” Yoga became a major influence in her writing and vice versa.“It takes effort to bring your focus to one thing. Yoga taught me that, and it reminded me of how I get completely absorbed in books,” she recalls.However, it wasn’t until a year later when she started attending NYC’s oldest yoga studio, Integral Yoga Institute, when the discipline really came alive for her. She later wrote Yoga Mind: Journey Beyond the Physical. “Yoga Mind gives people a 30-day program of spiritual exercises and tools that will help them become happier, more mindful, and less stressed,” Suzan elaborates, “each of the 30 days has a spiritual exercise for you to try.” “One of the reasons I wrote Yoga Mind was to share with people what I’ve learned over 25 years of studying Yoga. Me, 25 years; you, 30 days! Not bad…” she says. Her message is that yoga is not merely exercise. “Through writing a book,” Susan says, “I can communicate to the UK, the USA, India, and wherever the book is sold. That’s powerful!”
Words: Gemma Harris
Yoga Mind will be released in the UK on 22 March. Buy your copy at Amazon.co.uk.
MEET Our writers Before you go, we’ve got a final burst of bookish inspiration. Our team share their favourite fictional characters and the books in which they live. Gemma Harris - Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter books. She’s inspiring to young women, and her confident and intelligent presence had an influential effect on me growing up. I always wanted to be like her!
Lauren Brown - Toru Wakanabe from Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. He’s imperfect but also incredibly compassionate and selfless. He feels deeply for those he lets in and tries to understand them.
Heather Wald - Anne Shirely from Anne of Green Gables. She’s a true kindred spirit, with a passionate heart that knows no bounds. Her love of writing and books led me to want to be a writer myself.
George Griffiths - Hen Wen from the Chronicles of Prydin. She’s an oracular pig who can read the future and is probably the reincarnation of a welsh goddess, what’s not to love?
Sophie King - Matilda from Roald Dahl’s novel Matilda. No matter how many times adults kept pushing her down, she never gave up. She was also extremely clever and loved books. What a great gal!
Filiz Mehmedova - Pippi from Pippi Longstocking. She is a strong, friendly, kind and playful character. In the book, she demonstrates she can take care of herself and her friends Tommy and Annika.
Matthew Trask - Roland Deschain from The Dark Tower series is a strong, layered and complex western figure at the heart of King’s magnum opus.
Daniel Gibson - Thomas Cromwell, from Wolf Hall. A brilliantly calculating, menacing and highly relatable figure, Thomas, is the straight man in a court full of pompous fools.
Oindrila Gupta - Beloved from Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. The character is a woman whose identity is a mystery and could be symbolic of the inescapable, horrific past of slavery.
Patrick Cremona - Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events. He’s schemeing, inventive and evil but always entertaining. He makes for the perfect villain!
Anjali Balasubramaniam - Clovis Sangrail from Saki’s Chronicles of Clovis. He’s witty and charming and has a great sense of humour.
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