The History Of England Written In Stone. Literary Canterbury With Anna Sayburn Lane

Some places are so dense with history that stories emerge from every stone. Canterbury in Kent, England, is rich with literary and religious history and you can walk in the footsteps of pilgrims who have visited the city for almost a thousand years. Anna Sayburn Lane is an award-winning short story writer, novelist, and journalist inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. Her latest book is The Crimson Thread, a mystery set in Canterbury, England. Show notes * Literary history of Canterbury * How Canterbury Cathedral has the history of England written in its stone * Unusual and beautiful aspects of the cathedral * Other interesting places in Kent, particularly for book research * William Blake and his uncompromising artistic passions * Creating an amateur sleuth who is a walking tour guide and an academic * Recommended travel books You can find Anna Sayburn Lane at AnnaSayburnLane.com My book, Pilgrimage, Lessons Learned from Solo Walking Three Ancient Ways, which features Canterbury Cathedral, is out now. Transcript of the interview Joanna: Anna Sayburn Lane is an award-winning short story writer, novelist, and journalist inspired by the history and contemporary life of London. Her latest book is The Crimson Thread, a mystery set in Canterbury, England, which we’re talking about today. Welcome, Anna. Anna: Thank you very much. Joanna: It’s great to have you on the show. We met in person at the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge last year just after I finished my pilgrimage to Canterbury. And we were both wearing masks because of the pandemic and we briefly said hi. What drew you to Canterbury, in particular, for researching this book? Anna: I’ve written about Canterbury to some extent before in my first novel, which I wrote after I’d first walked also from London to Canterbury. So my own pilgrimage ended at Canterbury Cathedral and I felt a bit of unfinished business with Canterbury. It’s such an amazingly rich place as far as literature and history goes. And those are my two big passions. Also, I moved to Deal in which is about 20 miles south of Canterbury on the seaside a couple of years ago. So I’ve started to spend a lot more time in Canterbury, getting to know it better. And I really like the idea of setting a book entirely in Canterbury and letting my literary sleuth unpack some of the mysteries around Canterbury Cathedral. Joanna: You mentioned the rich history and literature. Tell us a few of those things that have inspired you. Anna: Canterbury goes back to Roman times. I think that was when it was first settled as a big place. But then it became very important because of the foundation of Christianity back in Saxon times. St. Augustine was sent to convert the Southern British or the Southern English to Christianity and founded his cathedral in Canterbury. So it’s been hugely important all down the years. Of course, The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer’s amazing epic poem was what was first in my mind when I set off from London to Canterbury. It’s one of those things you study at any level, I’d always liked it. I know a lot of people hated having to learn it, but I rather enjoyed it. And so that was in my mind when I said, ‘Look, it’d be fun to just do this.

Om Podcasten

Escape and inspiration about unusual and fascinating places, as well as the deeper side of books and travel. I'm Jo Frances Penn, author of thrillers and non-fiction, and I'll be doing solo shows about my own travel experience and interviewing authors about how travel inspires their writing. Interviews cover places to visit and tips for travel as well as thoughts on modes of travel like walking, cycling, and travel by train and other modes. Plus book recommendations for every interview so you have things to read on the move.