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Waiting for the four o'clock sun brings together
autobiographical sketches and traveller's tales, many previously published as separate
anecdotes, each bringing to the reader a wry smile or raised eyebrow. The author's Norfolk
roots, together with the influence of his 17th century Norwich Huguenot name (Sabaton) and
the ongoing pull of a French radical tradition, are a constantly recurring theme. And the
call of the outdoors, with its changing seasons, is ever present. Stan Sabberton says he was brought up on a Norwich wartime vegetable plot before embarking on a varied career as national serviceman, excise officer, teacher, educational researcher and medical librarian. He has contributed to local arts, literary and environmental publications and is a member of Sheringham Little Theatre Writers' Group. Returning to his links with the soil, he currently grows and sells wholesome fruit and vegetables, and seeks maximum exposure to the sun by walking, cycling, swimming and sometimes just sitting. |
| Recent Reviews Stan Sabberton writes about life as a wartime cathedral chorister and the Norwich blitz, about cycling around Brittany in the 1950s, together with a kaleidoscope of short pieces describing incidents in Britain, Europe and beyond during a career covering the past 60 years, often against a background of wars and rumours of wars. The influence of his radical Norwich forebears is apparent throughout. Chapter headings for example take the names of the French revolutionary calendar months, such as Floréal (blossom time) and Ventôse (the windy season), reflecting the closeness of the natural seasons as the events unfold. Amazingly, buried in all the fragmented narrative, the reader will uncover nuggets of information - a North Norfolk coastal walk, a recipe using organic garden produce, a diary of climate change, a short story set in London and the mysterious fragment of a lost poem found on a cupboard door... Suffolk Norfolk Life. This is not an autobiography and is not a family history - instead it is a very readable collection of reminiscences starting in Norfolk before the war and travelling throughout Europe on a never ending journey of fascinating anecdotes...... a fun romp through childhood, adolescence and adulthood - yet at the same time it shows how to write your own story. Norfolk Roots. Suggested Readership Those keen on books about Norfolk (England), France, Eastern Europe, travel, the outdoors. Scholars with an interest in 20th century UK social history and the impact of war, politics, religion and environmental change on the life of an ordinary individual. Waiting
for the four o'clock sun:episodes in the life of a Norfolk Huguenot by Stan Sabberton |
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