Louis de Bernieres: Nine Years in the "Norfolk Alps"
Louis de Bernières, born in 1954, is a British writer, poet and musician who has written several novels, collections of poetry, and albums of his own songs. He has a degree in philosophy from Manchester University, a PGCE from Leicester Polytechnic, and a master’s degree from London. He performs concerts of his own poetry and songs. He has had many jobs, including army cadet, teacher, motorcycle messenger, carpenter, and landscape gardener. He lives in Norfolk with his son, Robin, daughter Sophie, and five cats.
Drawn from Louis de Bernières’s hugely popular Facebook posts written between 2015 and 2024, “Smelling of Rooks” gathers a decade of reflections, anecdotes & observations on everything from music, cats & motorcycles to politics, parenting & the perils of social media. It is a book about the texture of ordinary days, told with the warmth, eccentricity & mischief that have made de Bernières one of Britain’s most beloved storytellers.
Set against the rolling fields & modest peaks of what he calls the ‘Norfolk Alps’,this accidental memoir captures a writer at ease with his life, his readers & his absurdities. There are riffs on the pleasures of cooking & DIY, portraits of friends & neighbours, the escapades of his children, & the unpredictable joys of country living.
At once funny, tender & defiantly unfiltered, “Smelling of Rooks” shows Louis de Bernières as he really is – reflective, unpretentious & gloriously human. A celebration of family, friendship & the small wonders of daily life, it is a book to dip into, laugh with, & treasure.
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