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Words of Mercury
The travels and writings of Britain's legendary Patrick Leigh FermorPatrick Leigh Fermor was only 18years oldwhen he set off to walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. It was during these early wanderings that he started to pick up languages, and where he developed his extraordinary sense of the continuity of history. Whether he is drawing portraits in Vienna or s...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
July 19th 2004
by John Murray
(first published January 13th 2003)
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This book consists of extracts from Patrick Leigh Fermor's books along with book reviews, memoirs of old friends and other pieces of writing. I own copies of "A Time of Gifts" and "Between the Woods and the Water", but the passages taken from those books were worth re-reading and the rest of the the book was equally good. I wish he would finish writing up the final part of his epic 1930s journey from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople, but I'll keep an eye out for his other books anyway.
In on...more
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A tempting array of aperitifs for those that love Fermor's writing or as an introduction to his work. As with any selection, it can be hit and miss - but by and large the quality of the writing wins through.
Must read.
Simply brilliant. A compendium of essays/excerpts from his writings. Putting them side by side really gave a fabulous view of his breadth and depth. Loved to see how his style changed with time and experience. This man knows how to enjoy the intricate beauties of life with humor, style, intelligence. Loved it. My next fun literary goal: read all of his books. He's worth it.
OK - I read much of it. Parts of it I loved and in fact re-read. Parts of it are hard going. He does write amazingly well and learnedly. Sometimes it's like reading poetry. But other times it can be a bit of a struggle. It is fascinating to read about the places he knows though - all of Eastern Europe that I know very little of.
Fun to read, and an accessible starting point for Fermor.
I keep returning to his essay on his home in Greece, not only because of the wonderfulness of his descriptions, but because I've been wandering hotel rooms for over a year.
Excellent. His style and story-telling is brilliant.
The last Emperor of Byzantium is outstanding. Laughed out loud as reading it.
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Sir Patrick Michael Leigh Fermor DSO OBE was a British author, scholar and soldier, who played a prominent role behind the lines in the Battle of Crete during World War II. He was widely regarded as "Britain's greatest living travel writer".
At the age of 18, Leigh Fermor decided to walk the length of Europe, from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. He set off on 8 December 1933, after Hitler ha...more
More about Patrick Leigh Fermor...
At the age of 18, Leigh Fermor decided to walk the length of Europe, from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople. He set off on 8 December 1933, after Hitler ha...more
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