Friday 10 May 2013

Lyme Regis: John Fowles' Home to be available for student writers


Excellent news

See an earlier posting about Belmont House

The Guardian on the John Fowles Lyme Regis house:

"He dreamed the Grade II listed Belmont House could become a centre "for young writers and artists" who would be as inspired by its beauty and history as he...

He had lost count of the institutions he approached, he wrote sadly, including the University of East Anglia.  famed for the creative writing course co-founded by his friend Malcolm Bradbury, of which he was an honorary graduate. None felt capable of taking it on...

The Landmark Trust, which restores historic buildings, has bought Belmont from Fowles's widow Sarah, and is fundraising to restore it not just as a holiday rental like its other properties, but a residential centre for young writers. This time the University of East Anglia, whose graduates include Anne Enright, Kazuo Ishiguro and Ian McEwan, has said yes.

Discussions are also ongoing with Royal Holloway and other academic institutions".

Not quite clear how it will function both as a holiday rental and as a residential retreat and centre for young writers. Just two weeks a year for the writers? What time of year? A month would be the ideal minimum. Even better, go the whole way and follow the inspiring example of The Baltic Writers Centre on Gotland.




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