For twenty years, I’ve dreamed of adding the subject of tea to Plon’s “Dictionnaire Amoureux” collection – and now I’ve done it! (Translator’s note: this French series of essay-style “lover’s dictionaries” covers a variety of topics from the perspective of passionate specialists.) The publisher wanted a pair of authors to offer two different viewpoints, so I suggested my friend Ingrid, who agreed to write the book with me.
Tea is a journey, a horizon, a form of literature. It is the perfect partner for the silence of writing, the colour of ink and dreams, the inner world of the imagination. Tea takes us by the hand, touches our hearts and elevates our lives. It sets the pace yet stretches out the moment. Tea and writing dance together throughout life in a series of shifting embraces. In this Dictionnaire Amoureux du Thé, the word amoureux is key, as it evokes the passionate impulses in us all. Ingrid and I write about tea’s important role in our lives, while Ingrid’s beautiful illustrations perfectly complement the text.
© Guillaume Czerw
