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October 20, 2006
No soup
In the turmoil of a dream ideas become confused. I am genuinely interested in the use of official language (see below). For a long time I have researched and enjoyed British Official Government Papers of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, partly for the history they teach (don't go to war in Afghanistan) but much more because of the profoundly beautiful language used by civil servants, surveyors, generals and inspectors of those days.
So when Karen Christensen asks for more books to be mentioned on the blog, I can only say that I am reading Kenneth Rose's lovely biography of Lord Curzon of Keddlestone. Curzon filled many roles, which I will not attempt to describe and he was the most aloof of British Aristocrats and intellectuals. He was also a perfectionist who reprimanded his chef when preparing a reception for a member of the Royal Family by observing into the distance "Gentlemen do not eat soup at Luncheon"
Posted by Tim Coates at October 20, 2006 9:50 PM
Comments
I have a cold and have been in bed with a mixed bag of reading: Barbara Ehrenreich's Bait and Switch (not sure if her work is known in the UK--might have relevant to the current library situation, "If anything threatens the competitiveness of American business, it is not an atavistic loyalty to employees, but an internal culture of self-indulgence and its inevitable result, incompetence.") and a Penguin book of English short stories that starts with Dickens and ends with Angus Wilson. The fascinating thing about the stories is that the early ones are full of the supernatural and religious or ethical dilemmas, in one way or another, and the later ones are more psychological, materialistic, and truly bleak.
I'm not a reader of political biography, but have a feeling you'll push me in that direction! I did just read a biography of Mao, which had some fascinating information about his connections with libraries: http://www.berkshirepublishing.com/blog/archives/2006/10/mao_and_librari.html
Posted by: Karen Christensen at October 22, 2006 11:57 AM