Books/Stories (many of which will likely be available at the bookstores in Lewes): To the River by Olivia Laing (lots of local detail and history), Virginia Woolf: A Biography by Quentin Bell (this will make our visit to Monk’s House more meaningful), Moments of Being by Virginia Woolf (personal essays), Stories by Rudyard Kipling, “The Signalman” by Charles Dickens, George Orwell’s essay on Rudyard Kipling, Kipling’s poem ‘Sussex,’ Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf; A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh; Brighton Rock by Graham Greene; Last Orders by Graham Swift; The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro; England, England by Julian Barnes, The Death of Bunny Munro by Nick Cave (one my favorite musicians, the Australian-born Cave has lived in Brighton for 20 years), The West Pier by Patrick Hamilton (Graham Greene called The West Pier ‘the best book written about Brighton’), Dead Simple by Peter James (James is to Brighton what Ian Rankin is to Edinburgh or Colin Dexter to Oxford), The Final Solution by Michael Chabon (in which Sherlock Holmes retires to the South Downs to raise bees), “The Vampire of Sussex” by Arthur Conan Doyle, Winnie-the-Pooh series by A. A. Milne.
With LINKS:Short stories:
"Poison," by Lucy Caldwell
"Lamb to Slaughter," by Roald Dahl
“The Vampire of Sussex,” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
"A Haunted House," by Virginia Woolf
“On the Brighton Road” by Richard Middleton
Longer works:
The Turn of the Screw, (novella) by Henry James
Winnie the Pooh, (children's book) by A.A. Milne
Spook Stories, (collection) by E.F. Benson
Movies shot in Sussex: Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (Seven Sisters), Atonement (Seaford), Mr. Holmes (Seaford, Seven Sisters), Never Let Me Go (Bexhill-on-Sea), Wonder Woman (Arundel Castle), The Living Daylights (Beachy Head).
Movies shot in Brighton: Brighton Rock (1947, 2010), Quadrophenia, Oh, What a Lovely War, Down Terrace, London to Brighton, Me Without You, 20,000 Days on Earth, My Accomplice, The End of the Affair, Wish You Were Here, Dirty Weekend.
Key English movies: A Matter of Life and Death (1946); Passport to Pimlico (1949); Room at the Top (1959); Carry on Screaming (1966); Jubilee (1977); Abigail’s Party (1977); Gregory’s Girl (1981); Cal (1984); My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) Withnail and I (1986); Orlando (1992); The Crying Game (1992); The Remains of the Day (1993); Secrets and Lies (1996); Ratcatcher (1999); Gosford Park (2001); Morvern Callar (2002); Happy-Go-Lucky (2007); The Fish Tank (2009); The King’s Speech (2010); The Angel’s Share (2012).
TV Series: Fawlty Towers; The Office (British version, natch); Shameless (British version, natch); Prime Suspect; Little Britain; The Vivienne Vyle Show.
Playlist: The Kooks, British Sea Power, The Go! Team, Freemasons, Blood Red Shoes, Electralane, Nick Cave (again, Aussie born, but long-time resident of Brighton); The Jam; Squeeze; PJ Harvey Radiohead; The Specials; The Streets; Oasis; Blur/Gorillaz; The Cure; The Happy Mondays; The Stone Roses; The Verve; The Sex Pistols; The Clash; Nick Drake; The Cocteau Twins; Kate Bush