I'm delighted to welcome Eric Marks to Troutie McFish Tales today to talk about the books and authors which have shaped his life and inspired him as a writer.
Eric is the author of the recently released travel memoir From the Cliffs of Cornwall to Kilimanjaro, and you can read my review and more about his book below.
A WRITER READING
The first book I remember reading
The first book I remember was a Rupert the Bear adventure story in the typical cartoon form. I spent hours and hours with that book, and I don’t remember any other books being available
The books which shaped my childhood
I think the book that stands out from my childhood reading was The Sound of the Sea by Leo Walmsley. This is a charming set of childhood adventure stories set in Robin Hood’s Bay on the Yorkshire coast. I have had a great love for the sea and estuaries ever since.
The books I read as a teenager
As a teenager, my most fruitful source of books was from our school library. I seem to recall that such books as Swallows and Amazons figured largely in my taste. I joined the armed forces at the age of fourteen in the junior leaders scheme, and reading receded into the background for a few years, apart from some reading about great leaders like Sir Winston Churchill and Lord Wellington.
The first book which made me want to be a writer
In my early twenties, I read the book that let me imagine myself as being a writer. The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc was that book. This is Belloc’s account of his pilgrimage from the Moselle to Rome. It introduced me to solo long-distance walking and backpacking, but into a world of horses and carts, peasants, good wine, and simple foods along the way. The sense of adventure that unfolded in the book completely captivated me, and I have been its captive ever since. Reading that book was my epiphany. I wanted to experience the long walking trails, and then go on to writing about my adventures. But life gets in the way. Now, entering my eightieth year, I have at last started to write about my experiences while walking over the years on the South West Coast Path, especially on the north coasts of Devon and Cornwall, and more recently on the giant volcano of Kilimanjaro.
The book which changed my view of the world
As above – The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc.
The book which will always have a place on my shelves
No contest here. It is The Collected Works of William Shakespeare. It has been observed that he traversed the multi-dimensional labyrinth of the human soul. His writings also suggest that he was supremely open-minded, and allowed each of his prominent characters to express themselves in a forthright way that embraces a huge range of viewpoints.
The books I tell everyone else to read
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte. A marvellous novel where the well-drawn characters interact in surprising ways. We are taken into the minds of the main characters in a way that is truly ahead of its time. I allow for the structural weaknesses that are commonly alluded to by critics, and just revel in the literary joy of this novel. I must also lavish praise upon Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea. What a story this is! Very few novels have so enthralled me as this one has. The failings and flaws of the central character are super-abundant, yet we can identify with him on so many levels. A great literary novel worthy, I think, of its Booker Prize.
The books I didn’t finish
I cannot recall ever having left a book unfinished, although some have been a real challenge, especially War and Peace and Ulysses!
The book I am reading right now
Galileo and The Art of Ageing Mindfully: Wisdom from the Night Skies.
The book I turn to for comfort
For comfort, I read my hand-written journals, crammed with wisdom, advice, and observations about life and the human condition from many of the great minds of the past and present. These include Montaigne, Seneca, Socrates, Lucretius, Boethius, Emerson, and Roger Scruton.
From the Cliffs of Cornwall to Kilimanjaro
THE BLURB
The idea of writing a book suddenly dawned on Eric Marks as he walked along the South West Coast Path from Minehead in Somerset to St Just in Cornwall. The experiences he'd had, the great seascapes he saw, and he people the met were a pageant for his senses and things were only just getting started.
From the Cliffs of Cornwall to Kilimanjaro documents Eric's incredible decision, at the age of 76, to walk 252 miles with his nephew along the South West Coast Path of Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall as part of their training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, later that same year. Was this a late-life crisis, or what? Sharing his memories and stories with the reader, we're taken on his trek, from the comforting sights of home to the exotic landscapes of Africa and joining the thousands of people who every year volunteer to climb the tallest mountain in Africa.
Unexpected situations, both home and away, including some near-death moments, slingshot the reader from highs to lows, but one thing is certain: it really is surprising what part serendipity plays when you are on the walking trail for several days at a time. An inspiration for other readers into their later life, Eric has proven that you're only as old as you accept you are in a journey that is dynamic and demanding, satisfying yet humbling.
MY REVIEW
Eric Marks is a charming and eloquent companion, and I thoroughly enjoyed following his journey along the South West Coast Path and up the slopes of Kilimanjaro. From the Cliffs is a well-paced mixture of memoir, travel writing and useful backpacking tips. There are some lovely passages of vivid and evocative description here, and as well as the main narrative we are treated to numerous entertaining stories of the author’s previous backpacking trips. There are heart-stopping moments, a great deal of humour – particularly in the banter and in-jokes which Eric and his nephew share – and we meet plenty of interesting characters along the way.
Many of the stories have stuck in my mind, but one passage which really touched me was the tale of the exhausted swallows arriving at Land’s End. I also loved the flashback story of the unexpected snow blizzard encountered by Eric and a previous walking companion.
From the Cliffs of Cornwall to Kilimanjaro is both a satisfying read and an inspiring story.
You can buy a copy here
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