Armchair Escapism 20

Books

Lost Paradise, Elizabeth Drayson

Lost Paradise is set in southern Spain in the town of Granada, a city layered with a complex and rich history. In real time, Drayson walks us through its intricate streets as she reflects on Granada’s past - Medieval Nasrid court life, the fall of a kingdom, Roman traces, and Catholic Monarchs who would later claim the Alhambra as their court. Without following a single narrative, the book immerses the reader into one of Spain’s most unique and chequered cities who’s convoluted story is fossilised within its architecture, food, dialect and culture.

The Fire in the Mountain - Sicily, Etna and her People, Helena Attlee

The east of Sicily is home to a landscape quite unlike any other; an active volcano (lovingly referred to as ‘Mamma Etna’ by the locals) overlooks the surrounding towns, hills, and even the Ionian Sea sparkling in the distance. Every few months, it erupts with bursts of lava but the citizens and their homes remain unscathed. Instead, rather than repelling them the eruptions serve to reward its people through fertilising the land. Helena Attlee delves into the history, mythology, geology, gastronomy, and horticulture of Mount Etna and those who live beneath its looming shadow. Through a compelling narrative that takes us from ancient civilisations to present daily life, we follow Attlee's musings as she traipses through farmlands and mountain ranges all under the watchful eye of Etna. 

Quiet Days in Clichy, Henry Miller

One of America’s greatest writers, Henry Miller, had a deep attachment to France and Paris in particular. In Quiet Days in Clichy, he narrates a vision of the French capital, through a tone that is half dreamlike, half hungover. The story follows Joey and Carl, two broke writers in Clichy, who survive on scraps of food, borrowed francs, and the generosity of women who they meet on their ambles. The men are deprived of comfort and stability but within that deprivation, they revel in a king of reckless freedom which fuels their writing and artistic pursuits. It’s messy, funny, and luminous, revealing a side of Paris beyond the hazed romantic vision we’re used to.

Films

Summertime 1955

At the height of Summer, Jane arrives in Venice enchant by its shimmering canals, sprawling piazzas and shadowy alleyways. A chance encounter with an Italian antiques dealer turns into an opportunity for a deep connection. As the fledgling couple stroll through the beautiful city on the water, they try to ignore a slight lack of equilibrium - there a moments of imbalance between languages, expectations and what each is willing to risk. But our antiques dealer is also hiding another secret which Jane might only discover when its too late to fall back out of love. Venice acts as the perfect backdrop for a tale of mystery, charm and the realisation that there is often more than meets the eye.

Pierrot Le Fou
This is a dazzling film of colour, chaos and collapsing identities. Legendary director, Jean-Luc Godard paints the story of Ferdinand, a restless and bored young man, who leaves his bourgeois life  behind with beautiful Marianne. She is part lover, part accomplice who follows Ferdinand along as they drift through France descending into a world of meaninglessness and escapism. The film feels like flipping through a magazine in bold colour, hazy landscapes and deliciously retro interiors. that keeps bleeding into poetry. Violence and tenderness share the same frame. It’s a blend of love story, crime spree, and philosophical musing. 

Before Midnight

In the third and final chapter of Jesse and Celine’s long romance, Before Midnight - following Before Sunrise and Before Sunset - we find them in a new, more complicated phase of life. Older, less idealised, and fully human, they are far from the young drifters they once were. Set in the Grecian Peloponnese, the film follows a summer holiday with their children, framed by sunlit tavernas, shimmering sea swims, and charmed encounters with locals. Yet beneath a sheen of carefree beauty runs unease: long conversations about love, intimacy, and what survives of them over time. It’s a raw, honest portrait of love as something fluid, fragile, and constantly renegotiated.