 Blythe had spent the winter of 1966–7 listening to three generations of his Suffolk neighbours in the villages of Charsfield and Debach, recording their views on education, class, welfare, religion, farming and also death.Published in 1969, the book painted a picture of country living at a time of change – its stories told in the voices of the farmers and villagers themselves.Such was its power that Akenfield was translated into more than 20 languages, including Swedish.