Laurie Lee is remembered with special affection in his home county of Gloucestershire - but he never dreamed when he penned his lyrical memoir of a country childhood in the Cotswold village of Slad that it would bring him worldwide acclaim. Before he achieved fame with that first volume of his autobiography, he had been known mainly for his poetry and worked as a scriptwriter for documentaries.  | | Laurie Lee as a young man |
Born in Stroud, he was abandoned by his father when he was three, Laurie Lee was educated at the local village school in Slad and at Stroud, leaving when he was 15. In 1934, he went to London to seek his fortune and then continued on to Spain. There he travelled on foot, playing his fiddle to earn his keep, before being caught up later in the Spanish Civil War. These youthful adventures provided the material for his celebrated autobiographical trilogy - Cider with Rosie (1959), As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning (1969) and I Can't Stay Long (1975). The identity of Rosie, with whom Lee shared his first taste of cider and 'dry and shy' kiss under a haywain, remained a secret for 25 years after publication of the book.  | | Laurie Lee with wife Kathy and daughter Jessie in the 1960s |
It was then revealed that she was Lee's cousin by marriage, Rose Buckland. In his final radio interview, just before he died in 1997, he spoke to BBC Gloucestershire's Mark Hurrell about the inspiration for Cider With Rosie, his exploits during the Spanish Civil War and his love for the countryside around his beloved home village. Now you can read and hear again a fascinating insight into the life, times and inspiration of one of Gloucestershire's best-loved sons. Laurie Lee on his early days in Slad Laurie Lee on his school days Laurie Lee on Cider With Rosie Laurie Lee on the Spanish Civil War Laurie Lee on his favourite place - the Slad Valley | 
