LONDON.- The British Library has announced that it has acquired the archive of celebrated writer and essayist, Ronald Blythe (1922-2023). The news will be marked with an event held at the Library on 23 February, to explore Blythe’s work and legacy.

Blythe was born in Suffolk and spent almost his whole life living in a small area of Suffolk and Essex. Initially a reference librarian in Colchester, Blythe was encouraged to become a writer by his friend, the artist, Christine Nash. He had a prolific output, publishing over 40 books many of which explored themes around nature and place, the most famous being Akenfield: Portrait of an English Village which was later adapted into a film with the director, Peter Hall. When writing Akenfield Blythe used his experiences and those of the people he knew to create the evocative atmosphere of the fictional, rural village of Akenfield.

Blythe was a life-long Anglican, and the archive also includes drafts of the regular column Blythe wrote for The Church Times for 24 years. ‘Word from Wormingford’, written in the house Blythe was gifted by artists Christine and John Nash, reflects on the passing of the seasons and offers an intimate insight into Blythe’s spiritual beliefs.

Highlights of the archive acquired by the Library include:

• Literary drafts of Akenfield, his celebrated novel published in 1969, along with photographs, correspondence and other papers relating to the novel’s film adaptation in 1974

• Literary drafts and notes relating to The View in Winter, Blythe’s book exploring the difficulties of ageing again using the experiences of people whom he knew such as John and Christine Nash

• Drafts of Blythe’s ‘Word from Wormingford’ column that appeared in The Church Times from 1993 – 2017

• Notebooks used by Blythe to record his ideas and research

• Letters exchanged with famed novelist, Patricia Highsmith, throughout the 1960s and 70s that provide a fascinating insight into both writers and their relationship.

The archive is an important addition to the British Library’s collection and offers a fascinating insight into societal change in England during the 20th century, with a particular focus on rural life and the impact of World War One. The Library also holds the archives of writers John Berger and Laurie Lee, and the depictions of rural life in Akenfield offer a valuable counter-point to the bucolic Gloucestershire of Lee’s Cider with Rosie and Berger’s evocation of life in the French Alps in the Into Their Labours series. Blythe was also a friend of Suffolk native and composer Benjamin Britten, a number of whose letters can be found in the Library’s Music collections.

Helen Melody, Lead Curator of Contemporary Literary and Creative Archives at the British Library, said: ‘We are delighted to have acquired Ronald Blythe’s archive, which will be a wonderful resource for Blythe scholars and those interested in the societal and cultural changes that Blythe’s work chronicled. I am really pleased that it has found a permanent home at the British Library.’

Ian Collins, Ronald Blythe’s literary executor and biographer, said: ‘Ronnie was a complete original – a self-taught and poetic chronicler of rural and spiritual life, nature and literature. He lived a joyful century close to his Suffolk roots, writing and walking into his mid-nineties and was a sociable hermit who corresponded with a wide network of friends and fans. Neat and rich and full of surprises, his archive reflects the orderly mind of a former librarian who came to write with wit, erudition, boundless imagination and gratitude for everyday existence.’