The Meandering River: Memoir of an alternative life
Excerpt by Brigitte Ryley

 

 

• Chapters

» Introduction
    Crystal Palace Park
    Boisseson
    Kirkdale School

 

Introduction

South London is where I live. I was born in Brussels and came to England in the early Seventies. Wherever I happen to wander, there seem to be traces from the life lived during those years. It is as if fragments were left for me to pick up. I often take journeys across those homelands to reminisce, remember, make something real come alive from across the veil of absence, wrapped around me, making an orphan out of me. Now I try to cultivate a sense of voluntarily exile. From that space filled with absence, memories, voices from the past speak to me. They shout, we are part of you, take us back into yourself. Let those stories you thought were better forgotten, come alive and reveal their secrets.