News

Final volume from Patrick Leigh Fermor

16.12.11 | Benedicte Page

John Murray is to publish a posthumous book by travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor, who died in July.

The book will complete the story of the journey Leigh Fermor made on foot from the Hook of Holland to Constantinople at the age of 18, as told in his previous works A Time of Gifts and Between the Woods and the Water. The currently untitled volume will be published in September 2013.

Artemis Cooper, whose biography of Leigh Fermor will be published in September 2012, said: "By the end of the second volume, he was about to cross the Danube from Romania and plunge into Bulgaria; and his devoted readership have been stuck midstream, as it were, for over 20 years. A painstaking perfectionist, Leigh Fermor never did finish the final volume though he was working on it up to his death in June 2011."

Based on the original diary he kept at the time and an early draft of the book written in the 1960s, this book takes up the story, and carries the reader to Constantinople and beyond.

John Murray m.d. Roland Philipps said: "I was told of the existence of a manuscript on the day that Sir Patrick died in June of this year, and read it shortly afterwards. It is a  treat to be back, immersed once again in this great pre-War walk across Europe and wonderful for his many admirers that this book will be published."

The publisher describes Leigh Fermor as "one of the outstanding prose stylists of modern time".

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By Sean Deany

In 2001 I first made correspondence with Patrick Leigh Fermor, via his publisher, where I wanted his advice into a proposed walking tour I wished to make of Eastern Europe. To my surprise he replied and in his letter, and in very difficult to read hand writing, he gave good advice for my own adventuring. Unfortunately I haven't as yet taken that particular journey he encouraged, as today red tape and costs have almost made it impossible to undertake. However importantly in late 2004 I had that very special privilege of meeting the man in person at his home in Kardamyli, Greece. In that hour or so in his presence over a Greek coffee and a glass of ouzo we discussed such subjects as travel writing and adventurous travel. He told me to keep it a secret at the time that he was indeed working on the "third" book! In fact he said that for sure "A Cave on the Black Sea" - in Words of Mercury would go into the "Book". Since reading this particular story I've never seen a round table in its normal everyday function again as it is. As I was about to leave my fortunate encounter with Paddy I remembered that in my bag I had been reading a copy of Mani and since I was geographically as close to the Mani as one could possibly get I asked him if he would please sign it for me. Not only did he except my request, but inscribed it with "Inscribed for Sean Deany from Patrick Leigh Fermor with all wishes and the best of luck!" Life has been a little better ever since.

Wed, 18/01/2012 - 08:37
By Sean Deany

In 2001 I first made correspondence with Patrick Leigh Fermor, via his publisher, where I wanted his advice into a proposed walking tour I wished to make of Eastern Europe. To my surprise he replied and in his letter, and in very difficult to read hand writing, he gave good advice for my own adventuring. Unfortunately I haven't as yet taken that particular journey he encouraged, as today red tape and costs have almost made it impossible to undertake. However importantly in late 2004 I had that very special privilege of meeting the man in person at his home in Kardamyli, Greece. In that hour or so in his presence over a Greek coffee and a glass of ouzo we discussed such subjects as travel writing and adventurous travel. He told me to keep it a secret at the time that he was indeed working on the "third" book! In fact he said that for sure "A Cave on the Black Sea" - in Words of Mercury would go into the "Book". Since reading this particular story I've never seen a round table in its normal everyday function again as it is. As I was about to leave my fortunate encounter with Paddy I remembered that in my bag I had been reading a copy of Mani and since I was geographically as close to the Mani as one could possibly get I asked him if he would please sign it for me. Not only did he except my request, but inscribed it with "Inscribed for Sean Deany from Patrick Leigh Fermor with all wishes and the best of luck!" Life has been a little better ever since.

Wed, 18/01/2012 - 08:37

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