Dream Days: Kenneth Grahame

[poliphilo]

I've been inserting this as cushioning between jagged chunks of Hardy. It's charming, whimsical- but saved from over-sweetness by Grahame's understanding of the otherness of children. Also- unlike The Wind in the Willows- not only does it have girls in it- but they're given stories to star in. I've been asking myself all through whether Grahame would be remembered if it weren't for The Wind in the Willows and I think the answer is, yes, just about. He'd be a niche writer, a cult writer, but he's just too interesting and writes too beautifully (if ornately) to have completely disappeared.