The Railway Children on stage

Here is a nice little bit of news I learned from the Facebook page of the Didcot Railway Centre: they will be presenting a stage adaptation of  The Railway Children. I have seen one before, almost ten years ago, which I thoroughly enjoyed.Then I read the novel. Since then, I became a father, and Wolfie has already enjoyed one novel of Edith Nesbit. I suggested we go and watch the play, he is eager to do it, but only once he have read the book. Since it is in August, I guess he has time. So yes, I am not sure if we will go, we will have a busy summer, but this is a possibility. Worst case scenario, it is an excuse to read to Wolfie a classic of children literature.

Un défi ou challenge personnel (la photo du mois)

C'est le thème de ce mois-ci, choisi par Chat Bleu. Ma photo a été prise au National Railway Museum juste avant la performance de The Railway Children. Ce que vous voyez fait partir du décor de scène. Car voici mon défi personnel: retourner un jour sur les planches.

Et voyez quels défis personnels les autres se sont lancés:

AF News, Akaieric, Alban, Alexinparis, Angélique, Aude, Autour de Cia, BiGBuGS, Blogoth67, Brindille, Calamonique, Cara, Champagne, Chat bleu, Chiffons and Co, Chloé, Christophe, Cocazzz, Cécile, CécileP, Céline in Paris, Dame Skarlette, Danièle.B, DelphineF, Dom-Aufildesvues, E, El Padawan, Estelle, Eva INside-EXpat, François le Niçois, Frédéric, Gilsoub, Giselle 43, Guillaume, Homeos-tasie, J'habite à Waterford, Josette, Julie, Kenza, KK-huète En Bretannie, Koalisa, Krn, La Fille de l'Air, Lau* des montagnes, Laulinea, Laurent Nicolas, Lavandine, Lavandine83, Loulou, Luckasetmoi, magda627, Mamysoren, Marie, MauriceMonAmour, Milla la galerie, Mimireliton, Mireille, Mirovinben, Mon Album Photo, Morgane Byloos Photography, MyLittleRoad, Nanouk, Nicky, Noz & 'Lo, Pat, Philae, Pilisi, Pixeline, Renepaulhenry, Rythme Indigo, Sinuaisons, Sous mon arbre, Suki, Tambour Major, Testinaute, Thalie, Tuxana, Voyager en photo, Woocares, Xoliv'.

The Railway Children

I bought The Railway Children at the National Railway Museum, where we saw a stage adaptation of the novel. I first discovered E. Nesbit through her ghost stories, which I loved, and I wanted to know more about her and read what is maybe her most famous work. It's a classic of children literature which I never knew or heard about as a child. I actually never heard of it until I was well into adult age. Which is almost surprising, given that I love everything train related. I guess I am not that educated about all the classics of English literature. I am about to finish it. Because I saw the play, I think I can already recommend it. It has been one of my November reads and it helped get through a dreary month. It is a delightful little book, a very English one, with tea time, English countryside and of course featuring a railway at a time when trains were the nation's technological and transport pride. It is told through children's perspective full of innocence, but not quite an idyllic one. The universe depicted by Nesbit is not devoid of dangers, sadness and sometimes even tragedy (although it is averted in extremis). Since it was first published as a serials in a magazine, it is a very episodic novel, most chapters having self-contained stories. Unlike its most famour movie adaptation and the stage version I saw, where Yorkshire is mentioned as the setting, the novel is set in an unspecified part of rural England. But reading it, it's always Yorkshire that comes to my mind. So anyway, I strongly recommend it.

Passion (la photo du mois)

 Le thème de la photo du mois, choisi par DelphineF, a été inspiré d'une citation de Saint Augustin. Voici l'explication: "Je suis ravie pour mes 3 ans de participation de vous proposer une citation de Saint Augustin : "Celui qui se perd dans sa passion perd moins que celui qui perd sa passion." Je vous propose donc de prendre en photo ce qui vous passionne le plus dans votre vie. Un thème qui je l'espère vous inspirera et sera haut en couleur et en bonne humeur !" Comme il y a bien des choses qui me passionnent, j'avais l'embarras du choix. Alors j'ai choisi une photo qui, bien qu'imparfaite (j'ai dû la prendre très vite et dans une foule), représente certaines de mes passions: le théâtre, les trains (surtout à vapeur) et la littérature. La photo a été prise au National Railway Museum de York. Ce train, cependant, n'est pas le modèle dans un musée mais... un accessoire de théâtre. En effet, le musée faisait aussi office de théâtre pour l'adaptation sur scène de The Railway Children d'Edith Nesbit. Que j'ai d'abord connue pour ses histoires d'horreur. Une autre passion que j'ai, d'ailleurs. En plus l'histoire se passe dans la campagne anglaise, elle parle d'enfance et je suis un nostalgique fini, enfin bref s'il y a une photo qui représente mes passions, c'est bien celle-là. 

Pour la passion des autres, c'est par là:

A'icha, Akaieric, Alban, Alexinparis, Arwen, Aude, Autour de Cia, BiGBuGS, Blogoth67, Cara, Carole en Australie, Champagne, Chat bleu, Chloé, Christophe, Cocazzz, Cricriyom from Paris, CécileP, Céline in Paris, Dame Skarlette, DelphineF, Dom-Aufildesvues, Dr. CaSo, El Padawan, Estelle, Eva INside-EXpat, Fanfan Raccoon, François le Niçois, Frédéric, Galéa, Gilsoub, Giselle 43, Guillaume, Homeos-tasie, Iris, Isaquarel, J'habite à Waterford, Josette, Julia, Kenza, KK-huète En Bretannie, Koalisa, Krn, La Fille de l'Air, Lau* des montagnes, Laulinea, Laurent Nicolas, Lavandine, Lavandine83, Lecturissime, Les Bazos en Goguette, Les bonheurs d'Anne & Alex, Les Filles du Web, Loqman, Loulou, Luckasetmoi, Lyonelk, magda627, Mamysoren, Marie, MauriceMonAmour, Milla la galerie, Morgane Byloos Photography, MyLittleRoad, Nanouk, Nicky, Noz & 'Lo, Philisine Cave, Pilisi, Pixeline, princesse Emalia, ratonreal, Renepaulhenry, Rosa, Rythme Indigo, Sandrine, Sinuaisons, Testinaute, Thalie, Tuxana, Voyager en photo, Xoliv'.

Happy Birthday E. Nesbit

Ah, the things you learn when you open your browser on Google sometimes. Like today, first thing in the morning, I see a Google Doodle, and I discover it is celebrating the birthday of Edith Nesbit, or E. Nesbit. She was the author of children's books, such as The Railway Children, which was the one illustrated in the Doodle. It is maybe a lesser known fact nowadays that she was also the author of a good deal of horror/ghost stories, including Man-size in marble. I know nothing about her children stories, ironically enough. But I read Man-size in marble in this anthology. It is a really good chill, a classic ghost story, set fittingly on Halloween night. As it is my favourite holiday, I found the story very fitting for a read in the time leading to the season.

The short story had a strong enough impression on me to make me want to truly discover Nesbit, so as I mentioned on this post I bought a book of her horror stories, The Power of Darkness: Tales of Terror (and by the way what brilliant covers Wordsworth Mystero books have). I will read them eagerly soon, in the upcoming weeks leading to Halloween (I usually start shortly before September). One could find strange that a famous (or once famous) author of children fiction also wrote horror, but to me it did not surprise me at all. Children have a wild imagination and often a sinister one and childhood fears and nightmares feed one's psyche for a lifetime. If one can channel them, they can write magnificent tales of terror. I am looking forward to explore the dark side of Edith Nesbit.