The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating

The subscriber giveaway is back! Begin or renew an annual subscription in February, and you’ll be automatically entered into a prize draw to win a lovely box of snail-related goodies, including a copy of our group read, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, a signed copy of Enchantment, some of my writing essentials (a refillable ink pen, a bottle of ink, a Rhodia notebook, Blackwing pencils), and assorted Clearing goodies. See the end of the email for a picture of the prize • Listen to The Poetry Detective’s Overwintering episode, in which I feature, on BBC Radio 4 • I’ll be taking part in the Ceylon Literary Festival, 13th-15th February, in conversation with Helen Macdonald, and with Sukanya Wignaraja.

I’m excited to introduce you to our new group read, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey.

First published in 2010, this has become a secret classic, the kind of book passed enthusiastically between friends. It opens with the sudden onset of a virus, after which the author is left chronically ill, devoid of energy and assailed by seemingly untreatable symptoms. She can only rest, a long, frustrating convalescence in stark contrast to her busy former life.

When a friend brings her the gift of a snail nestled beneath a potted violet, Elisabeth’s attention is captivated by it. Enduring the pains and limits of her condition, she meditates on the snail as an extraordinary distillation of the natural world and an unknowable consciousness. It’s a book of great stillness and beauty, and it’s hard not to be changed by it.

Anyone who has experienced a long illness - or a permanent change in their health - will relish this book. For everyone else, it offers an encounter with the kind of beauty that’s only observable when life grinds to a halt.

You may like to watch the lovely trailer that was made for the book’s release:

We will explore the book in more depth over the coming weeks. As an introduction to the author, you may like to read this interview she gave in 2012 or listen to this one on NPR.

Reading schedule - this is a slow, snail’s pace read, but don’t let us hold you back!

2nd - 8th February: Prologue and Part I, The Violet Pot Adventures

9th - 15th February: Part II, A Green Kingdom

16th - 22nd February: Part III, Juxtapositions

23rd February - 1st March: Part IV, The Cultural Life

2nd - 8th March: Part V, Love and Mystery

9th - 15th March: Part IV, Familiar Territory and Epilogue

I’ll be checking in regularly on The Clearing Chat to find out how you’re doing. In the meantime, let me know in the comments if you’ve read this book before, or if you’re planning to read for the first time!

I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

Finally, here is a picture of the snail-themed subscriber giveaway prize - the badge and the cuddly snail are both the work of the brilliant Donna Wilson.

To enter, begin or renew an annual subscription in February.