World Literature Today – July 01, 2019

Notebook

CITY PROFILE

Norwich,

England

Literature in the

City of Stories

by Kayla E. Ciardi

HEADING EAST ON Riverside Walk,

you will see an old building tucked away

with an unexpected literary surprise. If you

look across the river that runs through the

city toward Westwick Street, you will be

confronted with all forty thousand words

of Thomas More’s Utopia neatly arranged

against the bricks of the old Eastern Elec-

tricity building. In 2006 local artist Rory

Macbeth took advantage of the building’s

imminent demolition planned for the fol-

lowing year and painted the building’s exte-

rior as an art exhibition. More than ten

years later, the building remains. Norwich

itself is a literary utopia of sorts—at least it

felt that way to me while I was living there

for a year. It is situated on the eastern hump

of England. In his novel Never Let Me Go,

2017 Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro

describes the county of Norfolk as Eng-

land’s “lost corner” as it is “not on the way

to anywhere.” As a result, the city can be

quite peaceful, but in no way is it lacking in

vibrancy.

In 2012 Norwich—locally known as

both A Fine City and the City of Stories—

was proclaimed a UNESCO City of Lit-

erature, with good reason. Visiting Norwich

and walking along its many cobbled paths

is akin to walking into a breathing history

book. As one of the most well-preserved

medieval cities in England, its rich histories

and stories are palpable, accessible every-

where you look. Famous streets such as Elm

Hill, one of the most unaltered sixteenth-

century streets in all of England, boast

cantilevered houses from the Tudor period.

Today, the old buildings of Elm Hill house

coffee shops, offices, and quaint antique

shops. Over thirty medieval churches still

stand throughout the city, with many con-

verted into alternative spaces such as flea

markets, art galleries, or community cen-

ters. In the city center you will find the

largest open-air market in England, set up

in the eleventh century and filled with over

two hundred stalls selling everything from

vacuums to vegan BBQ sandwiches.

Its literary history is impressive, too.

One figure is of particular note: Julian of

Norwich, the author of the oldest surviving

English book written by a woman. Dragon

Hall, once a medieval merchants’ trading

hall dating back to the fifteenth century,

now serves as the base for the National

Centre for Writing, which uses the space

for literary events, workshops, and writing

courses. Although tucked away in the east-

ern corner of England, the city has made a

far-reaching impact through its commit-

ment to fostering literature and creativity.

The University of East Anglia, for exam-

ple, only fifteen minutes by bus from down-

town, created the first creative writing MFA

in England. Famously, writer Ian McEwan

was the first student enrolled in the pro-

gram. The list of impressive alumni goes

on—with the likes of Kazuo Ishiguro and

Anne Enright—while past faculty include

the late W. G. Sebald. More importantly,

UEA cultivates an environment ripe for

literary opportunities, especially for its stu-

dents and Norfolk locals. Every year, the

university holds a literary festival with guest

speakers, workshops for grad students, and

book signings at the on-campus bookstore.

The year I attended, George Saunders and

Ali Smith—some of my favorite contempo-

rary writers—were featured guests.

It is difficult to spend any length of time

in Norwich without feeling melancholic

after departure. Even on its gloomiest days,

the city feels quietly electric. The characters

of Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go describe Nor-

folk as the place where everything precious

they had “ever lost since [their] childhood”

would wash up, and that they shouldn’t

worry; they “could always go and find it

again in Norfolk.” Standing beside the river

and taking in forty thousand looming words

in white, the description seems apt indeed.

Kayla E. Ciardi is a recent graduate of the

University of Oklahoma, where she received

a bachelor’s degree with honors in English

literature. Her hobbies include photography

and graphic design. She plans to pursue a

graduate degree and a career in writing and

publishing.

Thomas More's Utopia painted on a building originally planned for demolition.

PHOTO: KAYLA E. CIARDI

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