Grain Stories: The books and writers that have inspired me, with Heidi Francis from FLINT
Looking for inspiration for your autumn reads? Whether you’re going back to school, back to work or just savouring the changing seasons, autumn is a great time to expand your literary repertoire.
We talk to Heidi Francis, co-founder of FLINT, a unique store near Lewes selling beautiful items for the home and garden, as well as clothes, books and flowers, to find out what books and authors have inspired her creative passion.
Photo by Natasa Leoni
About FLINT
Flint is housed in a beautiful 14th Century building on the High Street in the historic market town of Lewes, East Sussex, not far from The Grain Store.
Founded by creative mother and daughter team Heidi Francis and Julia Smith, Flint is a unique collection of items that have inspired them on travels around the world. They provide a styling service and are available for interior and fashion shoots. They also have an online store FLINT Collection.
What were your favourite childhood books and why?
I was fortunate to fall in love with reading at a young age. I remember long road trips in America when I was a child, and my father telling me off for not looking out of the window as I was sitting at the back of the car with my head in a book. Two books that had a big impact on me, one of which was on one of these long car journeys, is Little Women by Louisa May Allcot. The other was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which completely captivated me and stayed with me for many years. I still dream of discovering a secret garden.
Which artists or writers most inspired you and your creativity?
There are too many to list here, but one standout writer for me is Iris Murdoch. I was absolutely obsessed with her books throughout college, especially The Sea, The Sea, which is another of my favourite books. I always feel I'm learning something when I read her work. Her writing makes me want to sit and think. She has this uncanny way of writing from any perspective, so clever.
It's impossible for me to choose a favourite artist, there are so many that I love, but the one I've turned to again and again and never tire of, ever, is Anthony Tapies. I visited his foundation in Spain, in my early teenage years and his work had a massive impact on me. I seek out his work wherever I can.
Who are your favourite travel writers and why?
Without a doubt, the Irish writer Dervla Murphy. My husband has an eco-travel company and he introduced me to her a few years ago. We have met up a couple of times since although I tend to go a bit starstruck when talking to her because she is one of my heroes. She is one of the loveliest people I know. My grandmother was fascinated by Dervla too, maybe the Irish connection. But anyway, for my tenth birthday, she gave me a whole stack of her books and told me to keep hold of them and treasure them. I didn't get around to reading them until many years later but I started with Full Tilt and that was it, I was hooked.
The last time we went to Dervla's wonderful house in Lismore, I did the thing I never thought I'd do. I asked her to sign a copy given to me by my nan. It was quite a moment for me but she graciously obliged and it's now one of my most treasured possessions.
I have to mention another travel book that absolutely blew my mind, Travels With Fortune by Christina Dodwell. It tells the tale of a young woman heading off to Africa in her twenties. They went overland in a Land Rover but she and her travelling companion were stranded when the two guys they were with made off with the truck. That was the beginning of an incredible adventure and it inspired me to start my own backpacking trips soon afterwards. It is the most amazing story and just the sort of book to make you want to get out there.
What is the book that you return to in times of trouble?
The Priory by Dorothy Whipple. The story is set just before WW2 and tells the tale of a family growing up in a large country house that's seen better days. The two main characters, the sisters, are fascinating to read about as it's set in a time when there weren't many options for young women. For me, the writer has a complete understanding of different people's characters and she was so incredibly observant.
To be honest, I don't really read much modern fiction. I'm always drawn to stories written between the wars. It's just so fascinating to compare our lives now to that period, which was so different in so many ways and yet it wasn't that long ago.
Which artists or writers would you most like to invite to dinner?
Can I choose someone from the past? I'd love to meet the artist Georgia O'Keefe. I find her fascinating. It's not so much her paintings but her wardrobe and the way she lived her life. She was reluctant to stand for anything but herself. She had impeccable style and lived a long life until she was 98.
The last 40 or so years of her life were in isolation at her incredible home in New Mexico called Ghost Ranch. It was minimally furnished and full of rocks and shells she collected. It had huge picture windows that looked out onto the landscape which inspired her to paint these huge canvasses, which I have always found so interesting. They are full of colour and not at all what you'd expect somehow. I adore the clothes she wore. The sort of simple, unfussy clothes that I like and mainly in black, which I wear a lot of.
What would you like to ask her?
I would like to know about the huge flower paintings she made. What she saw in the landscape in Mexico as they seem to me, such a contrast to her aesthetic. I would also like to learn more about how she lived. Was she ever lonely, I wonder? Or was she in her element?
What book do you or would you most like read out loud to you?
I actually love being read to but it doesn't happen very often does it? I think it takes you back to being a child in some ways and there's something so comforting in that. My mother used to read Blackberry Farm over and over to me. Much to her annoyance, I'm sure, as I never tired of it. She used to try and skip bits but I always knew.
There is nothing quite like being read to by the very author of the book. You think you know a book when you love a book, in some ways, they become part of you for a while, so I think I'd quite like Dervla to read to me, as I feel I know her books so well. She would definitely make me understand her story in a different light and that would be so fascinating.
Where is your favourite place to read or study a book?
In bed last thing at night or in a quiet corner. I can't read when there are any distractions so somewhere very peaceful would be vital. A room at The Grain Store would be rather perfect.
What are your criteria for the lovely books that you choose to sell at FLINT?
Like everything we sell at FLINT, all our books are hand-picked and we take great pride in our selection. It's quite an eclectic mix but then we have such broad interests. For the past few years, I've loved discovering nature writing and have been recommended so many by a very trusted source.
I also have a lovely friend called Jamie Denton who lives in Lewes. He has a fantastic book agency and has introduced me to so many wonderful titles over the years, in a way we have curated the collection we sell at the shop, together. Travel also features heavily, of course, and we sell a large range of titles published by Eland, another great publisher. One of my many ambitions is to work my way through their entire catalogue.
What are your top recommended books for autumn?
I think given that we are living through such strange times, we need a bit of variety to cover all bases. I'd say Soil Soul Society by Satish Kumah to help us understand how important it is to nurture nature. I feel as if I'm even more observant of our natural world when the seasons change. His writing is so clear and eloquent that you wonder how there could be any other way.
I'd also recommend Voice Of Silence by Oonagh Shanely-Toffolo who is such an inspiring woman. It's a fascinating, humbling and beautiful autobiography about a life well lived and just always cheers me whenever I read it.
You'll want an escapist novel so I'd recommend anything by Dorothy Whipple. Or for something more lighthearted, to make you smile and take your mind off things, you could do worse than the Barbra Buncle trilogy by D E Stevenson. It's a hilarious series.
And finally, I don't think I'm alone in pining for travel and adventure to far-flung places. For those missing their adventures, I'd recommend diving into anything published by Eland. Whether it's Wilfred Thesinger and his journeys across Southern Iraq to meet the Marsh Arabs or the equally legendary Norman Lewis' tales of India in his book, Goodness in the Stones.
Ah, so many books and so little time…
FLINT has a number of books available for purchase in store or online, including:
Novels: Gift of the Sea, by Anne Morrow | Lindebergh | Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf | The Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James | Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert | many more…
Inspirational writing: Soul, Soil, Society by Satish Kumar
Forgotten literature: Persephone Novels, a selection of novels from forgotten writers
Lifestyle: Simple (cooking), by Diana Henry | Arctic Sketchbook, by Barbara Rae
Poetry collections: Poems about Trees | Poems for Cat Lovers | Dog Poems | Leonard Cohen - Poems and Songs
Discover a new favourite book at The Grain Store
We have many books available for reading in our mezzanine reading area. Curl up in our comfy reading snug and lose yourself in a new literary adventure.
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