Having read my 'Barbara Hepworth in St Ives' poem,
Shaft of Light, Circle of Stone, at
Arlington's Poetry Cafe last night, I was delighted to find a tribute to
Virginia Woolf on the
Oxford Dictionaries site in celebration of Book Lovers' Day.
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| Godrevy Lighthouse, St Ives |
For many Cornwall aficionados, the lighthouse at Godrevy, near St Ives, will always resonate with Woolf's iconic book,
To the Lighthouse, despite the fact that the novel (complete with lighthouse) is actually set on the
Isle of Skye. However, the author spent childhood holidays at
Talland House in St Ives, and one can't help feeling that some of her Cornish experiences were translated into the novel. On one occasion, Virginia's brother, Adrian, was denied a trip to Godrevy - and in the novel, James is confronted with the fact that his forthcoming visit to the lighthouse has been called off.
Don't forget to look up the other Oxford Dictionary Book Lover entries ...
I wonder what you are reading this summer. I am just coming to the end of
Mehalah, an adventure set on the salt marshes around
Mersea Island by Sabine Baring-Gould, and have just started
Silver, Sir Andrew Motion's eagerly-awaited sequel to
Treasure Island, which was written, of course, by Robert Louis, a descendant of the
Lighthouse Stevensons.
And for those who are wondering, I suspect Book Lovers' Day is actually
tomorrow! And for those who are also wondering, yes, Sabine Baring-Gould penned the words to '
Onward Christian Soldiers' ...
