Laurie Lee Part 2

Laurie Lee name is synonymous with Spain and travel writing. But how much of what he wrote bears any relationship to the events and moments described in his works? Part 2 of Did Laurie Lie concludes this mini investigation by the Gazpachomonk. In the last episode we traced the background to Lee’s work’s and looked at the 3 reasons why we should question some of the authenticity of his accounts of travelling in Spain. 1. First was the time factor. When I walked out one midsummer morning was written 35 years after his experiences. Time plays games with memories, and the benefits of hind-site can too easily add weight to an otherwise uncertain instinct or impression. 2. Secondly, Lee was a writer of fiction and poetry. He was not a writer of history. And finally there is the ongoing controversy surrounding his role in the civil war, - to what extent he participated and whether his book about participation, is really just a collection of others experiences. All these factors promoted me to look again at his writings on Almunecar. Find out the what the villagers had to say of the man who put their town on the map.