57. City Quitters | Karen Rosenkranz

Creative Pioneers Pursuing Post-Urban Life

City Quitters portrays creative pioneers pursuing alternative ways of living and working away from big cities.

---

If you wish, order this incredible book here, and subscribe to Karen’s newsletter here.

---

Friends,

I’ve shared here before about how books tend to find me when I need them, and this one is no exception. I think I ordered her the second she came out in 2018 (her bright yellow cover actually influenced the colour of this Substack!) as I was growing increasingly tired of the frenetic lifestyle I was living in London. A lot of truly serendipitous moments happened to me that culminated in my eventual departure in 2023, and I like to think that this book finding me was one of those.

“When a friend of mine, a photographer heavily inspired by London’s glitter side, decided to relocate from Hackney to rural Sweden in 2013, the thought of ‘quitting the city’ first popped into my head. Would it be possible for him to say goodbye to city life for good? Would he be able to lead a creative post-urban existence? The idea seemed crazy.”

Each chapter of the book gives us a little peak into people and their perspectives, their desires for a simpler life - away from the crowds and closer to nature. I hope this book inspires you as much as it did for me. I have yet to move to the deep countryside and start an alpaca farm (never say never!) but here’s a few of my favourites from the book.

---

Lynn Mylou (New York —> Berlin —> Amsterdam —> Cerdeira, Arganil, Portugal population 320)

What does a typical day look like for you?

I approach every day with ‘what do I want to do today’ instead of ‘what do I have to do’. Sometimes it’s also about what the elements want from you. It can be very hot or raining, so you work with that. I take every day as it comes rather than having a strict calendar or following a to-do list.

---

Amita Kulkarni (Mumbai —> London —> Parra, Goa, India population 4,400)

Do you think the move has affected your health at all?

Yes, I’m a much healthier person now than I used to be in London. I had a young child and was trying to run a business and teach. By the time I left I was so tired, now I feel totally regenerated as a person, mentally and physically.

---

Riccardo Monte (Milan —> London —> Ornavasso, Piedmont, Italy population 3,400)

What do you like most about your life here?

Living in a small community can be good and bad at the same time. My neighbour here is an old lady. She only speaks to me in the local dialect. I have always understood it, but I’m getting more familiar with it now. She is teaching me a lot about living in tune with the seasons, just with what nature gives to us.

---

Natalie Jones (London —> Bruton, Somerset, United Kingdom population 2,900)

(this one was my fave!)

Has your social life changed a lot?

Conversation is different with people here. Here there is a lot more curiosity and exploring. In that sense it’s very diverse. Everyone is very liberal and there is a lot of alternative thinking. It opens your mind. You become more accepting. I’m way happier here.

---

Recent reads & other media

• Kurt Vonnegut and his dog Pumpkin.

How should we behave during this Apocalypse? We should be unusually kind to one another, certainly. But we should also stop being so serious. Jokes help a lot. And get a dog, if you don’t already have one.

• One of my favourite podcasts, If Books Could Kill, covers San Francisco homelessness in this hilarious and thought-provoking episode.

• If reading books was like watching movies.

• A giant vegetable competition.

• Five things that happened to Rachel Weissman when she gave up alcohol.

---