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Words of Mercury

Words of Mercury

by Patrick Leigh Fermor (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2003

    $3.25

  • Used

    Paperback 2004

    $3.40

  • New

    Paperback 2004

    $12.01
Synopsis

Patrick Leigh Fermor was only 18 when he set off to walk from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople, described many years later in "A Time of Gifts" and "Between the Woods and the Water". It was during these early wanderings that he started to pick up languages, and where he developed his extraordinary sense of the continuity of history: a quality that deepens the colours of every place he writes about, from the peaks of the Pyrenees to the cell of a Trappist monastery. His experiences in wartime Crete sealed the deep affection he had already developed for Greece, a country whose character and customs he celebrates in two books, "Mani" and "Roumeli", and where he has lived for over forty years. Whether he is drawing portraits in Vienna or sketching Byron's slippers in Missolonghi, the Leigh Fermor touch is unmistakable. Its infectious enthusiasm is driven by an insatiable curiosity and an omnivorous mind - all inspired by a passion for words and language that makes him one of the greatest prose writers of his generation.

$3.25

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Quantity

10 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 288
 Edition: First Edition
 Publisher: John Murray
Published: 13 Oct 2003
ISBN 10: 0719561051
ISBN 13: 9780719561054
Book Overview: Patrick Leigh Fermor has written books about his travels, including The Traveller's Tree , The Violins of Saint-Jacques , A Time to Keep Silence , Mani , Roumeli , A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water .

Media Reviews
'Inspirational, insatiable, worldly and utterly divine, these works will leave us all thirsting for more' -- The Good Book Guide 20031101 'collection of outstanding writings ... an overview of a magnificent career' -- The Good Book Guide 20031101 'Words of Mercury is an admirable palliative for those who can stand the strain no longer. A selection of Leigh Fermor's writings, it serves three purposes to good effect: it contains enough unfamiliar material to satisfy old hands, it will remind the forgetful or the unconverted just how good a writer he is, and it should serve as the perfect introduction to novice readers ! An introduction to a writer whose mastery of English prose has only been matched, in my lifetime, by Evelyn Waugh and Hugh Trevor-Roper, this could hardly be better ! the gems in the collection are pieces not previously available in book form' -- Jeremy Lewis, LITERARY REVIEW 20031001 'What is charm? In Leigh Fermor's case it is an infinite curiosity about other people. He treats Bulgarian peasants and English dukes exactly alike ! Paddy Leigh Fermor has lived one of the great picaresque lives on the 20th century. Yet his achievement is to be what he is -- even more than what he has done. This collection beautifully illustrates both ! Paddy draws the reader, like his huge acquaintance, into instant intimacy. Paddy Leigh Fermor -- war hero, linguist, adventurer -- is at heart a great storyteller' -- Max Hastings, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 20031005 'There is a pleasure to be had on every page ! Here is a writer who can find something fascinating in the dullest characters and the most drab towns. He is a master stylist, too, revelling in the possibilities of language, striving always to be exact. Few travel writers can create atmosphere quite as thickly, but then few have such extraordinary anecdotes to tell ! [the anthology] serves as a reminder that Leigh Fermor is one of the greatest travel writers of all time' -- Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times 20031019 'The perfect anthology should turn us into gluttons and should also include unexpected delicacies. This books fulfils both requirements but also a third, more difficult one: it present a complete portrait of the author. The compiler, Artemis Cooper, writes an introduction which is a model of informative brevity, but also succeeds in capturing the essence of Patrick Leigh Fermor -- the man as well as the literary oeuvre ! Leigh Fermor is a generous writer. There is not a dull character in the vast gallery in these pages where barons, bandits and beggars abound, where scholars and poets are colourful and ladies are beautiful' -- Santiago Tamaron, The Spectator 20031004 Praise for PATRICK LEIGH FERMOR: 'The finest travel writer of his generation' -- Colin Thubron 20031004 'The greatest of living travel writers' Jan Morris 20031004 'Patrick Leigh Fermor is an exquisite among travel writers' -- Sunday Telegraph 20031004 'He makes exotic and entertaining friends wherever he goes, has read everything, been everywhere and writes like a dream' -- The Times 20031004 'Wonderful collection of extracts from a lifetime's writings' -- Times Literary Supplement 20040109 [Leigh Fermor's] 'extraordinary character and combination of intelligence and compassion' -- Times Literary Supplement 20040109 'A beguiling combination of wisdom and wildness, maturity and freshness' -- Times Literary Supplement 20040109 'Leigh Fermor ... is the best sort of British traveller ... He combines the resourcefulness and daring of Odysseus with the learning, culture and glamour of a latter-day Byron' -- Times Literary Supplement 20040109 'A collection of extraordinary anecdotes that are full of atmosphere and incidents, which reveal Leigh Fermor to be a congenial, cultured traveller of the highest order' -- Global 20031201 'His infectious enthusiasm, insatiable curiosity and open approach make the book a pleasure to read. Fermor is a master stylist who conveys delight readily and insight easily, making him the leading exponent of the travelwriting genre.' -- Global 20031201 'Vivid recollections of a way of life which vanished with that war [Second World War]' -- The Independent 20040109 'His gift is that he sees everything' -- The Independent 20040109 'That Leigh Fermor writes beautifully can be taken for granted.' -- The Independent 20040109 'His writing seeks to shine a fierce light on the places and peoples he visits' -- The Independent 20040109 'He became embedded in the societies that he writes about with such captivating panache' -- The Independent 20040109 'Leigh Fermor's work is that of a heartfelt wanderer truly involved in mankind' -- Geographical Magazine 20040201 'Keen judgement, a fine eye for detail and a truly prodigious memory' -- Geographical Magazine 20040201
Author Bio
Artemis Cooper is the author of Cairo in the War 1939--1945 and other highly acclaimed books. She is now preparing, with Antony Beevor, the authorised biography of Patrick Leigh Fermor. She lives in London.