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Staying
Close to the River: Reflections on Travel and Politics Ken Worpole
Ken Worpole weaves a rich literary tapestry as he reflects on memories of
friends and places he has known and loved. Through a unique series of letters,
Staying Close to the River takes you to the source of things, charting a route
through four generations of family life, the political progress of the left,
the cities of the world and human fallibility. At times moving and also very
funny, Ken's style is a testimony to the art of detailed evocation and meticulous
observation, whether sweating on the road to Tuscany, meditating on the pain
of strenuous cycling or discussing the arrival of Dallas on Russian TV. This
book is a rare gem.
'The vignettes of urban life, whether in Hackney or in Barcelona, are an important
reason for seeking out and reading this personal book from a writer whose
public life is steadfastly devoted to preserving popular and universally accessible
space in the city' Town & Country Planning
'it is a rough, idiosyncratic, touching diary' New Statesman
'It's strange to discover something fresh in an age stale with literary invention,
but Worpole pioneers a type of freewheeling epistolary travelogue' The Guardian
Ken Worpole is a writer and social critic who has written a number of books
on literary criticism, social history and contemporary cultural policy.