Books about Norfolk?
March 1, 2014 11:26 AM Subscribe
Are there any books or films you know of that are set in or around Norwich &/or Norfolk? Fiction or non-fiction, it's all good.
The Eagle has Landed, both a film and a book, set in Norfolk during WWII.
posted by pines at 11:41 AM on March 1, 2014
posted by pines at 11:41 AM on March 1, 2014
this won't be too much help, but i remember a great short film from the mid to late 90s that was part of something sponsored by channel 4. it was set in norfolk and memorably portrayed the flatness of the landscape. wish i could remember its name for you.
posted by iboxifoo at 12:03 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by iboxifoo at 12:03 PM on March 1, 2014
2 of the Swallows & Amazons books are set on the Norfolk Broads.
posted by jontyjago at 12:07 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by jontyjago at 12:07 PM on March 1, 2014
The Hippopotamus by Stephen Fry, who grew up there and I think lives there, at least partially. I think there is quite a bit about Norfolk in his first volume of autobiography, Moab Is My Washpot.
posted by howfar at 12:15 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by howfar at 12:15 PM on March 1, 2014
Witchfinder General is actually set in Suffolk, but that's not too far away.
You may also find this useful...
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 12:31 PM on March 1, 2014
You may also find this useful...
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 12:31 PM on March 1, 2014
Here ya go.
I would also highly recommend Graham Swift's "Waterland", which is set in the Fens. So, a bit of Norfolk, I guess.
posted by Decani at 12:35 PM on March 1, 2014
I would also highly recommend Graham Swift's "Waterland", which is set in the Fens. So, a bit of Norfolk, I guess.
posted by Decani at 12:35 PM on March 1, 2014
The Go-Between: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Go-Between
posted by gonzo_ID at 1:42 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by gonzo_ID at 1:42 PM on March 1, 2014
You can find loads of non-fiction history and oral history books/DVDs at Poppyland Publishing.
posted by cadge at 2:03 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by cadge at 2:03 PM on March 1, 2014
In addition to Alpha Papa mentioned above, there was a one-off Alan Partidge special called 'Welcome to the Places of My Life'. In it, Alan takes us on a pilgrimage, or 'Partrimage' if you will, to Norfolk. The whole frankly criminally brief 45 minutes is on Vimeo.
posted by punilux at 2:31 PM on March 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by punilux at 2:31 PM on March 1, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Future Homemakers of America is set in Norfolk. It's not nearly as soap-opera-ish as the Amazon synopsis suggests.
posted by essexjan at 2:39 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by essexjan at 2:39 PM on March 1, 2014
Waterland by Graham Swift is set in the Fens, though I don't know exactly where, whether it stretches down to Norfolk or is a bit further north.
On preview: Yes! I love the Future Homemakers of America.
posted by penguin pie at 2:43 PM on March 1, 2014
On preview: Yes! I love the Future Homemakers of America.
posted by penguin pie at 2:43 PM on March 1, 2014
I haven't lived there for a while, but I seem to recall the Writer's Centre in Norwich used to stock a lot of books about Norfolk and by Norfolk authors. I picked up a copy of a novel called "Gorleston" there in the late 90s. Very Norfolk!
Otherwise, Norfolk makes an appearance in Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
The Wishing Game is set in a Norfolk boarding school - I haven't read this one but it looks interesting.
And A Change Of Climate is also set around Norwich, from memory. I read it in school, and remember thinking it was okay at the time but I think it's probably more a book for adults - it's likely I missed a lot of nuance!
posted by indienial at 2:54 PM on March 1, 2014
Otherwise, Norfolk makes an appearance in Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
The Wishing Game is set in a Norfolk boarding school - I haven't read this one but it looks interesting.
And A Change Of Climate is also set around Norwich, from memory. I read it in school, and remember thinking it was okay at the time but I think it's probably more a book for adults - it's likely I missed a lot of nuance!
posted by indienial at 2:54 PM on March 1, 2014
Stephen Fry had that TV show "Kingdom," a kind of folksy legal dramedy set in a fictional Norfolk town, Market Shipborough, and filmed primarily in Swaffham. 3 series starting in 2007. I enjoyed it.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:59 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by Sunburnt at 2:59 PM on March 1, 2014
Not quite Norfolk, but Tom's Midnight Garden is set around Ely in neighboring Cambridgeshire.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:28 PM on March 1, 2014
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 3:28 PM on March 1, 2014
Response by poster: These are brilliant, thanks so much everyone. Plenty to keep me occupied there!
posted by rubbish bin night at 12:48 AM on March 2, 2014
posted by rubbish bin night at 12:48 AM on March 2, 2014
Lovejoy was made into a TV series that was mostly filmed in neighbouring Suffolk, but all the descriptions of the books just refer to it being set in "East Anglia," which would include Norfolk.
posted by penguin pie at 2:40 AM on March 2, 2014
posted by penguin pie at 2:40 AM on March 2, 2014
Most of Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway books are set in Norfolk. My partner (who is something of a connoisseur of the murder mystery) thinks they're very good.
posted by Chairboy at 12:47 PM on March 2, 2014
posted by Chairboy at 12:47 PM on March 2, 2014
The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald. It's a pseudo-fictional account of a walk in Norfolk and Suffolk (including a section in Norwich) but uses this as a springboard for talking about a wide range of topics. It's a strange and very interesting book.
posted by Erberus at 1:32 PM on March 2, 2014
posted by Erberus at 1:32 PM on March 2, 2014
The rather creepy historical novel The Gallows Curse, by Karen Maitland, is set in 13th-century Norfolk.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:25 AM on March 4, 2014
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 10:25 AM on March 4, 2014
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posted by tchemgrrl at 11:28 AM on March 1, 2014