The Voyage Home

by Richard Church

With uncompromising frankness and the disciplined simplicity of a poet, Richard Church records his own striving – his own voyage home – towards maturity of understanding and fulfilment. Startling in its depth and insight, yet never without an infectious humour, this book ranges far beyond the daily events of the author's life.For twenty-four years Richard Church led the double life of hard-working Civil Servant and an artist with a growing compulsion to give literary form to his glimpses of the truth. Eventually, the shattering climax of nervous strain, induced by the incompatibility of office work, forced Church to retire from the Civil Service and become a full-time author.First published in 1964, The Voyage Home is an inspiring personal story of a true artist, and a lively and entertaining appraisal of the author's many celebrated friends and contemporaries. Not only the fascination of journey and the beauty of the writing make this a remarkable work; but also Richard Church's manifold insistence on the importance of individual genius is a warm reassurance in the present time.

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1964

About the author

Richard Thomas Church CBE (26 March 1893 – 4 March 1972) was an English writer, poet and critic; he also wrote novels and verse plays, and three volumes of autobiography.

He had a great love for the Kent countryside and this is reflected in much of his writing. He published an anthology of works on Kent.

He lived at The Priest's House at Sissinghurst Castle in Cranbrook.

Reviews

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally like Church’s writing, but I felt this book was more of a collection of quick sketches of people I didn’t know, and there were too many of them to get interested in each one.