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Julian of Norwich re-visited
Posted by Simon Parke, 25 May 2020
I was recently asked to contribute a short piece to a book about the meaning of Julian of Norwich today.
It kindly gave me a chance to re-visit the cell and the woman I have written about in the past and who became a novel.
It was a happy return for me and I offer my clumsy thoughts here; though I start, lost in Norwich…
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A return to Eden
Posted by Simon Parke, 21 May 2020
I spoke with a headteacher, struggling in lock down.
As new and often contradictory government directives arrive daily, he finds himself doing a job he didn’t train for, with pressure from all sides, uncertainty rife and strong emotions unleashed all around.
I ask him what took him into teaching in the first place…
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Trump and the truth mirror
Posted by Simon Parke, 18 May 2020
The 2nd series of Dad’s Army was different from the 1st; the writers changed their approach to Sergeant Wilson.
After spending the 1st series complaining about his lack of energy, in the 2nd series, the writers allowed John le Mesurier to play himself as Sergeant Wilson; and it worked a treat.
A vague, upper class and rather disengaged sergeant was a brilliant foil for Captain Mainwaring…
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My magnificent compendium of lock down glory!
Posted by Simon Parke, 14 May 2020
So as lock down eases (for now) what is it that we have discovered, that we don’t wish to lose or forget?
When I posed the question on twitter, I got a wonderful compendium of replies; such different stories, but each contains gold; and maybe there are one or two which particularly echo with your experience.
For one person, it has simply taken them back to a different time…
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Reflections on 'The Guest House'
Posted by Simon Parke, 8 May 2020
Today I offer reflections on the poem ‘The Guest House’ by Rumi.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house, every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness of spirit, some momentary awareness
Comes as an unexpected visitor…
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In Solitude: Recovering the power of alone, Simon describes solitude as the active path to inner silence and takes us on an enthralling journey there. In a world of haste and distraction, he commends the way of stillness and withdrawal where we can ‘recover the power of alone’.
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Julian of Norwich, contemporary of both Chaucer and Langland, was the first woman to write a book in English. Yet remarkably, she disappeared from view for 600 years, before her rediscovery in the 20th century. My new novel is Julian’s own telling of her life.
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