The Rings of Saturn (1995) by WG Sebald

On 11 June 2020 the denizens of the Hove Book Group assembled in Keith’s award winning garden for a socially distanced gathering in line with the new lockdown regulations. We discussed Nigel’s themed choices. The theme was The Kingdom of the East Angles

Nigel reminded everyone that The Kingdom of the East Angles was, in the 6th century, a small independent kingdom of Angles, comprising mainly modern day Norfolk and Suffolk, which was established after the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. 

The book’s location inspired the theme.

READ: The Rings of Saturn (1995) by WG Sebald 

Nigel finished it a couple of weeks before the gathering and it had really stuck in his mind - the more he thought about it the better it got. Having quickly abandoned his expectations about what a book should be about, and simply surrendered to Sebald’s journey, he felt richly rewarded. The book’s dreamlike quality suggests it was a subconscious state that informed the writing. Did he even do the walk? Does it matter?

Nick was in awe of Sebald's learning as he wove so much interesting and disparate material into this book. Tristan felt there was far more to The Rings of Saturn than the English landscape. It also takes in the Holocaust, slavery, the decline of herring catches, the destruction of English elms, the lives of silkworms. Hamish liked the photos and the tangents. Robin found it discombobulating. Roland knows the area well, and felt he’d come home and felt so good

Nick 8 / Tristan 5 / Nigel 10 / Keith 9 / Roland 7 / Robin 6.5 / Hamish 7.5

LISTEN: Ambient 4: On Land (1982) by Brian ENO

We all agreed that Brian Eno is one of the good guys with one of the most impressive CVs we can imagine

He invented Ambient music of which this is an example

We’re all  huge fans of this stuff and love nothing more than soundscapes, drones, found sounds etc. All except Tristan who, to an audible gasp from the collective, confessed he hadn’t listened. Tch

That Suffolk inspired some of these pieces meant it was an obvious choice - especially given that one of the pieces is inspired by a visit to Dunwich beach in the early 1960s

The beauty and latent romanticism make On Land a timeless ambient release. The mournful, brooding, haunting quality is the perfect accompaniment to the book, and even, to an extent, the film  

WATCH: The Goob (2014) directed by Guy Myhill

We like independent films, We like British films, We like social realism, and We like films about marginalised communities, and so The Goob ticked all our boxes

Plus there was a bit of Shane Meadows and a bit of Ken Loach - more boxes ticked

The performances were uniformly superb…

Gene Womack is a classic bad man, villain character - an opportunistic and very insecure bully who has to constantly prove himself and assert his dominance. His inability to escape his self constructed hard man image is perfectly captured when he tries to dance at the party the pickers throw. The very essence of toxic masculinity. 

Goob, played by amateur actor Liam Walpole, perfectly captures the awkwardness and insecurity of the school leaver. Likewise his Mum, convinces as the needy, unconfident victim. 

Goob’s insular world is challenged by two outsiders; camp, fun loving Elliot (Oliver Kennedy) who enrages Womack with his frivolity, and summer worker Eva (Marama Corlett) who comes to town to work on the beet farm. 

Both give the impressionable Goob a glimpse of a world outside his own, outside Norfolk, if only he can break free, both mentally and physically

The Goob has a powerful sense of place, which I was hoping for, and evoked the emptiness and, in this instance, the crappiness of life in East Anglia for those will little money and limited opportunities. 

The cinematography is superb. The light, the wide open, desolate spaces are made for cinema 

The soundtrack was great. The Donna Summer I Feel Love dance scene worth the price of admission on its own

The Stock Car racing scene added to the sense of bleakness and futility 

Overall a great example of the powerful light cinema can shine on marginalised lives, it leaves the viewer with plenty to ponder, and - ultimately - a sense of hope that Goob has escaped to a better life

ENDORSE IT

The Last Dance (Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls) documentary on Netflix

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (Film on DVD)

More Or Less BBC Podcast

Patrick Melrose TV adaptation

Kermode and Mayo on BBC4

Life on Mars on BBC iPlayer

Home Coming (Amazon Prime)

Julieta (iPlayer)

Vast of Night (Amazon Prime)

Trumbo (iPlayer)

The 13th (Netflix)

Freakzone (BBC Sounds/Podcast/BBC 6 Radio show)

Dev.D (Netflix)

River Cuckmere in Littlington

Coal Shed food delivery in Brighton