[ilds] In the footsteps of LD

[Denise Tart & David Green]

Even in 1985, when I went to Corfu and when both Larry and Gerry were alive, there was Durrell tourism which as no doubt grown since. The recently posted photos from Cyprus suggest something of a Durrell trail. I guess to gets tourists into tavernas and buses and hotels and so on. Larry of course was appalled by what had happened to the Grecian islands after the war, the rampant development and spread of fish and chips and Watney's Red Barrel beer. If Larry got a lot out Greece, then Greece got a lot out of him - indeed I am even acquainted with a Greek factory worker who had heard of the Durrells - but he had not read any of the books due to semi illiteracy.

David




From: Bruce Redwine 
Sent: Sunday, January 23, 2011 4:31 AM
To: Denise Tart & David Green ; ilds at lists.uvic.ca 
Cc: Bruce Redwine 
Subject: Re: [ilds] In the footsteps of LD


David, 


Yes.  Durrell's house on Cyprus is not as I imagined.  Like a childhood memory, I made it bigger.  I also visualized an isolated place, on the edge of town, as you describe, or near a promontory.  Perhaps Bellapaix has grown since the 1950s.  Greek islands are extraordinarily beautiful, but would Corfu, Rhodes, or Cyprus be as popular were it not for Durrell's books?  I think not.




Bruce






On Jan 21, 2011, at 7:42 PM, Denise Tart & David Green wrote:


  yes. loved the photos. from reading Bitter Lemons I always imaged Larry's 
  house to be in a wilder more on the edge of town type landscape with more 
  vegetation. could be an Australian thing; this country being a barely tamed 
  wilderness even in the cities.

  The way writers write about places often contains their inner souls or 
  extravagant imaginations which cannot always be picked up when you visit the 
  place - the only exception to this, in my case, was Dylan Thomas's Boat 
  House at Laugharne; exactly as I imagined it from his poems and stories - as 
  sad and grand and as Thomasy as you could wish. But the Thomas's writing is 
  shy and introverted whereas LD's is big colours and extroverted; octopus in 
  red sauce and citrus tones and naked nymphs in modern guise.

  My brother and I had excellent trout and leeks for lunch at Brown's Hotel, 
  washed down by several pints of brown Welsh beer. We then did the Poem in 
  October walk.

  DG

  --------------------------------------------------
  From: "James Gifford" <james.d.gifford at gmail.com>
  Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2011 9:16 AM
  To: "ILDS Listserv" <ilds at lists.uvic.ca>
  Subject: [ilds] In the footsteps of LD


    Hello all,



    Many of you may remember Lea Stogdale from the ILDS conference in

    Victoria.  She's continued her travels and invite people to take a look

    (here's the link to her LD photos on Cyprus):





    Lea

    Lea Stogdale




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