SYNOPSIS
My Battle of Hastings is a portrait of a dislocated artist seeking to connect with the local environment in the hope of finding a deeper connection to Britain. Xiaolu, as an author and as a character, chronicles a year living by the English Channel, sprayed by the grey waves and absorbed by the news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, always reflecting upon the connection between everyday life and a brutal past, centered around the year 1066.
It is a book that records Guo's wandering by the sea overlaid with reflections on historical conflicts beyond the English Channel, including the author's own history in China, set against a background of collective anxiety about war and peace.
© Guo Xiaolu
