Now that exams are (mostly) over, we have some time to enjoy this wonderful city. One highlight to look forward to is the city’s Book Market at the Cathedral Green on 8 June – sunshine, books, and a picnic on the grass, what more could you want! This event links to Exeter’s status as an UNESCO City of Literature, but what exactly does that mean and how can we best appreciate the city’s literary heritage?
Exeter became a City of Literature in 2019 in recognition of both the city’s millennia-long history linked to literature and efforts made to promote further development and promotion of creative writing. For instance, the Exeter Library offers numerous events to bring together a community around literature, and the Exeter City of Literature charity holds similar spaces, such as the popular Silent Book Club, which is part of a global network of readers sharing a space to simply read, thereby promoting wellbeing and community. There are also plenty of independent bookstores around Devon, including Bookbag in McCoy’s Arcade on Fore Street –worth a visit for the vintage store and cafe as well!
This obsession with books began back in the 10thcentury with the Exeter Book, kept in Exeter Cathedral. As a verse anthology written in Old English (or Anglo Saxon), it is an incredibly unique tome that is of central importance to the history of English literature and language. More recently, Agatha Christie is linked to Exeter as she was born in the nearby town of Torquay, a seaside spot that is definitely worth a visit. Slightly further south is Christie’s holiday house of Greenway, which is managed by the National Trust as a visitor attraction to celebrate everything Christie!
There are also plenty of authors currently writing in Exeter. Poppy Okotcha’s memoir A Wilder Way gives a personal insight into her garden, interspersed with seasonal recipes and folk tales from her English and Nigerian heritage. A similarly personal story can be found in Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal, Robin Ince’s exploration of his experience of neurodiversity including anxiety and ADHD. Taking us back to Ancient Greece, Sarah Underwood spins an elaborate and romantic tale in her young adult book Gentlest of Wild Things, reviewed as crafting a “shimmering thread of love between women”. UNESCO City of Literature is a collection of articles written by MA Publishing students at the University of Exeter, plus commissioned short stories by authors connected to Cities of Literature, giving an in-depth exploration of what it means to be part of the global UNESCO City of Literature network.
All these books – and more! - can be found in the Community Library on the ground floor Devonshire House. I hope you have enjoyed learning about Exeter’s literary history and wishing you all a great summer!
Written by Matilda, Student Community Librarian