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Laurie
Lee is remembered with special affection in his home county of Gloucestershire
- but he never dreamed when he penned his lyrical memoir of a country
childhood in the Cotswold village of Slad that it would bring him
worldwide acclaim.
Before
he achieved fame with that first volume of his autobiography, he
had been known mainly for his poetry and worked as a scriptwriter
for documentaries.
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| Laurie
Lee as a young man |
Born
in Stroud, he was abandoned by his father when he was three, Laurie
Lee was educated at the local village school in Slad and at Stroud,
leaving when he was 15.
In
1934, he went to London to seek his fortune and then continued on
to Spain. There he travelled on foot, playing his fiddle to earn
his keep, before being caught up later in the Spanish Civil War.
These
youthful adventures provided the material for his celebrated autobiographical
trilogy - Cider with Rosie (1959), As I Walked Out One Midsummer
Morning (1969) and I Can't Stay Long (1975).
The
identity of Rosie, with whom Lee shared his first taste of cider
and 'dry and shy' kiss under a haywain, remained a secret for 25
years after publication of the book.
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| Laurie
Lee with wife Kathy and daughter Jessie in the 1960s |
It
was then revealed that she was Lee's cousin by marriage, Rose Buckland.
In
his final radio interview, just before he died in 1997, he spoke
to BBC Gloucestershire's Mark Hurrell about the inspiration for
Cider With Rosie, his exploits during the Spanish Civil War and
his love for the countryside around his beloved home village.
Now
you can read and hear again a fascinating insight into the life,
times and inspiration of one of Gloucestershire's best-loved sons.
Laurie
Lee on his early days in Slad
Laurie
Lee on his school days
Laurie
Lee on Cider With Rosie
Laurie
Lee on the Spanish Civil War
Laurie
Lee on his favourite place - the Slad Valley
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