An Introduction to my English Republic of Letters

And what the hell is a Republic of Letters, anyway?

Welcome!

Thanks for making it this far.

Why am I doing this? Having recently left full-time employment, I am looking to join the dots between a life lived and the books read, to see what picture emerges.

So what on earth is a Republic of Letters?

The term seems to go back to the 15th century and was used to describe to describe early Renaissance scholars, before widening to cover “other writers in the emergent public sphere of early modern Europe”. I like this quote from the 17th century: “People [in the Republic of Letters] take their strength from eloquence and reasoning. Their trade is entirely spiritual and their wealth meagre. Glory and immortality are sought above all things. . . .” Does it sound a bit like the writers on Substack to you? It’d be nice to think so. You can read more about the original Republic of Letters here.

For me, this Republic’s about a community, people sharing their thoughts, trading in words and reading carefully what others have to say. I certainly hope that’s what Substack is about, too. I can’t promise glory or immortality, worse luck. But I hope you will find the topics covered interesting. I will be learning a lot as I go and perhaps you will too.

Why an English Republic of Letters?

Well, I’m from England for one thing. And I’m going to be writing this in English, although the focus of my writing here will be international, reflecting the life I’ve had. I also think a republic would be a more grown-up form of governance for the country I come from, but that’s another story and not what I plan to write about here.

A little bit about me

Life has brought me the immense good fortune of being able to work and live in - not just visit - over half-a-dozen countries across 5 continents. Though I was brought up in the depths of the English countryside, I have mostly lived in big cities since then (Shanghai and Mexico City among them). As I have moved around the world, reading has been a constant thread in my life, and some of that reading reflects the places I have lived in.

What will I be writing about?

What will I be writing about? As I mentioned above, I’ll be looking to join the dots between a life lived and the books read, to see what picture is created. So, there’ll be a mix of personal anecdote and reflections on stuff I’ve read or seen. Along the way, I expect there will be digressions on language, culture, history, among many other topics.

I also hope to mix tings up with shorter posts, a discussion thread or two and perhaps some interviews, as things develop. If they do.

We’re doing this together

I’m new to this. I’ll be feeling my way at first and will be glad of whatever feedback you might want to give.

How often I’ll be writing this newsletter

I aim to post twice a month at first. I’d like to get the newsletter out every week at some point.

For the time being, all content is free. In time, I will consider changing to the usual mix of paid and free subscriptions.

In the meantime, please subscribe, read, share and and let me know what you think!