{"product_id":"peel-me-a-lotus","title":"Peel Me a Lotus","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn 1951 the Australian writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston left grey, post-war London for Greece. Settling first on the tiny island of Kalymnos, then Hydra, their plan was to live simply and focus on their writing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is Charmian Clift's best known and most loved books, Mermaid Singing and Peel Me a Lotus. Peel Me a Lotus, the companion volume to Mermaid Singing, relates their move to Hydra where they bought a house and grappled with the chaos of domestic life whilst becoming the center of an informal bohemian community of artists and writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat group included Leonard Cohen, who became their lodger, and his girlfriend Marianne Ihlen Clift paints an evocative picture of the characters and sun-drenched rhythms of traditional life, long before backpackers and mass tourism descended.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Charmian Clift","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43211194532097,"sku":"9781838110123","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0573\/8600\/8738\/files\/SIMPLEWEBSITEPRODUCTIMAGE-2025-07-15T143211.657.png?v=1752586341","url":"https:\/\/rarebirdsbooks.live\/products\/peel-me-a-lotus","provider":"Rare Birds Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}