This Bright Field
A Travel Book in One Place
William Taylor
An extraordinary autobiographical account of a quest for identity, history and vocation in the East End of London
As a young would-be priest William Taylor spent seven years exploring the history and changing populations of Spitalfields in the East End of London - once home to the Kray twins and the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper. He discovered much more than he'd expected about the area and about the city suits, barrowboys, artists, tourists and migrants who inhabit it with their ideals and personae, and in the course of his explorations he found a homeland of his own, and the confidence to follow his vocation. This Bright Field is his richly comic, surprising, moving story: a love song to a singular parish. "He can be devious and uncharitable, from which the book benefits hugely, as it enables him to puncture the inflated sentimentalities of cockneys and New Georgians alike... But the dominant tone is one of heartfelt fascination, and it produces a humane study of a precious patch of urban mulch" Evening Standard "In the last few years Spitalfields has become a touchstone for writers preoccupied with the evolution of the modern city. But the unique strength of Taylor's book lies in its forthright honesty. This Bright Field is a lively, outspoken and sometimes funny account of his spiritual education... The punters on Jack the Ripper tours would understand Spitalfields a lot better by reading Taylor's account" Independent
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About William Taylor William Taylor was born in 1965. He was ordained in 1994 and has been Chaplain of London Guildhall University since 1997. He has written for the Guardian and the Literary Review. THIS BRIGHT FIELD is his first book.
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