Synopses & Reviews
It is easy to find England on a mapit is part of that conspicuous thing in the North Sea, just off the French coast, and to the left of Denmark and Norway. It gets trickier once you are there: not even the English are keen to explain what England really is. Why do the English eat what they eat? Why do they do what they do? And why does the world think that England and Englishness is something to aspire to, something to adore? Holger Ehling takes us on a journey to iconic places, from London to Jarrow, from Stonehenge to Chipping Norton, from Shakespeare's Globe to the marvels of Blackpool, pondering along the way about history and everyday life and about what it is that makes these places and these people so quintessentially English and, therefore, different. We will meet royals and beggars, con-artists and real artists, heroes and villains, English roses and the legacy of the Empire Windrush. And perhaps, just perhapswe will find England.
Synopsis
An outsider's guide to the quirks and culture of the English by a German who made England his home.
Synopsis
Ideas and images about the English are everywhere. But beyond the black cabs and red buses, is it possible to get a sense of who the English really are? In this charming and informative collection of essays, Holger Ehling examines the customs and quirks of a country he has grown to love.
About the Author
Holger Ehling is a journalist, writer and broadcaster who lives in Frankfurt, Germany. For more than 30 years he has roamed Africa, Oceania and Latin America as a reporter, and has worked as the London correspondent for German and English-language media.