John Seymour

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John Seymour (born June 12, 1914 in London , † September 14, 2004 in County Wexford , Ireland ) was a British farmer and author . Through his books and courses, he is considered a pioneer of modern self-sufficiency .

Life

John Seymour went through some school changes in England and finally went to boarding school in Switzerland . He later began studying agricultural science in college . After working on various farms , he moved to Africa at the age of 20 to work on farms and to travel. Among other things, he also worked in a copper mine and as a vet in the bush. During World War II he served in North Africa and Asia .

Farm Fachongle Isaf , where John Seymour lived in the 1970s

After the end of the war, John Seymour initially returned to England. After a report assignment for the BBC in India, he went back to Africa. After the birth of his second child, he and his family moved to an old remote farm in 1957 and they began to live exclusively on their own produce.

After a few years, the Seymours moved to Wales to the Fachongle Isaf farm. There John Seymour wrote books that were particularly successful in the 1970s. Works such as The Great Book of Life in the Country and Self-Sufficiency in the Garden propagated the ideal of a sustainable life and primarily addressed a readership in industrialized countries tired of civilization. In his books, John Seymour described in a form understandable for laypeople how to use a small plot of land or a large yard in such a way that a natural cycle that is as closed and healthy as possible is created. In his books he took the standpoint of recycling and sustainability as a way of life with no monocultures or overproduction of individual foods . Seymour advocated a culture of exchange and cooperation within the neighborhood for a stable system in harmony with nature.

In 1981 the couple left the farm to their children and moved to Ireland, where Seymour wrote other books, including the novel The Larks Sing So Beautiful . His books have been translated into several languages ​​and are repeatedly reprinted .

"He was a one-man rebellion against modernism, and his absence will be felt by millions of readers the world over."

"He was a one-man riot against modernity, and his absence will be felt by millions of readers around the world."

- Obituary in The Guardian, September 21, 2004.

Fonts

  • The great book of life in the country: a practical handbook for realists and dreamers. Maier, Ravensburg 1978, ISBN 3-473-42616-4 . (Original title: The complete book of self-sufficiency. Translated by Irmgard Kneissler)
  • We're moving out into the country. Ehrenwirth, Munich 1979, ISBN 3-431-02188-3 . (Translated by Inge Riedel; illustrated by Sally Seymour and Karlheinz Gross; original published separately as: The Fat of The Land and I'm a Stranger Here Myself. )
  • Peaceful land. Green life. (= Ravenburger Freizeit-Taschenbücher. Volume 76). Maier, Ravensburg 1980, ISBN 3-473-43076-5 . (translated by Angelika Feilhauer)
  • with Herbert Girardet : Far from the Garden of Eden. The history of the soil. Cultivation destruction salvation. 1985, ISBN 3-8105-1810-7 .
  • Forgotten household techniques. 2nd Edition. Urania Verlag , Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-332-01058-1 .
  • Forgotten arts. Special edition. Pictures of the old craft. 5th edition. Urania Verlag, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-332-00707-6 .
  • The big book about life in the country. 1999, ISBN 3-332-01060-3 .
  • The new book about life in the country. Urania 2004, ISBN 3-332-01474-9 . (Dorling Kindersley, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8310-1577-1 )
  • Self-sufficiency from the garden. 1999, ISBN 3-332-01059-X .
  • The larks sing so beautifully. 1982, ISBN 3-453-30813-1 . (Original title: The larks they sang melodious )
  • with Herbert Girardet: Instructions for a healthy world. The last chance for a life worth living. Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-453-00546-5 . (translated into German by Matthias Wolf and Marcus Würmli; illustrated by Ian Penny; original edition: Blueprint for a green planet. Verlag Dorling Kindersley, London 1987)
  • Working in the kitchen garden. (= Ravensburger Freizeit-Taschenbücher. Volume 86). Maier Ravensburg, 1978, ISBN 3-473-43086-2 .
  • The gardening book for children. How everyone can grow their own vegetables. Lentz, Munich 1981, ISBN 3-88010-081-0 . (translated by Ilse Neunzig; with illustrations by Jörg Drühl)
  • And thought they were the masters. Man and the unity of nature. dtv, 1983, ISBN 3-423-10282-9 .

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ Garden: racing heart. Review. July 21, 2017 on sueddeutsche.de
personal data
SURNAME Seymour, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British author
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH London
DATE OF DEATH September 14, 2004
Place of death County Wexford , Ireland