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Saturday, January 31, 2004

Who is Hardiman Scott?

I am somewhat puzzled - what is the relation between Charlotte Smith's poetry and Hardiman Scott.

And is the Hardiman Scott of 'Secret Sussex' (1949) fame the same Hardiman Scott (Jack (Peter) Hardiman Scott, born April 2, 1920; died September 15, 1999) who was a political correspondent for the BBC in the 1950s and '60s. Although he was a Suffolk man rather than Sussex, and is the Hardiman Scott who produced a book on the love poems of Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Don't wish to seem a pedant but my curiosity was aroused by Simon Hoggart's reference to Hardiman Scott today in the context of him embodying Lord Hutton's preferred style of journalism. I'm afraid he was a little before my time.

Even more frustratingly an appreciation piece following up on the Guardian obituary quotes from a poem by Hardiman Scott in the volume 'Part Of Silence,' titled "On seeing myself on television 10 years earlier".

I know that, given the technology,
there is a quite simple explanation:
impulses are stored on videotape,
so that bits of the past, of me, can be
reconstituted, stuck on the present.
There I am uncomfortably set in time
forgotten, to be remembered when chance
requires another look, or to be cut
into extinction by someone else who,
looking back decided on another view.

However, there is no evidence of any such film of Hardiman Scott's journalistic past on the BBCi website or anywhere else on the Net.

For that matter are there any archive footage areas of the BBC site yet.

Posted by Nick @ 13:09 GMT

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Friday, January 30, 2004

Are you or have you ever been a marginalia criminal?

Marginalia and other crimes - recognise any scribblings and scrawlings?

Posted by Nick @ 23:33 GMT

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Not a book but I read it anyway...

Susan Watts telephone conversation with David Kelly

Posted by Nick @ 23:27 GMT

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More gems from Hardiman Scott: the delights of Charlotte Smith's poetry.

The
Scene where ruin saps the mouldering tomb
Suits with the sadness of a wretch undone.
Nor is the deepest shade, the keenest air,
Black as my fate or cold as my despair.

Highly appropriate when you have just failed your driving test, and been told your steering is 'dangerous'.

Posted by Peter @ 13:40 GMT

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Morris Dancers

An interesting idea Peter. On a visit to Gilbert White's house and garden in the Hampshire village of Selborne last summer I was fortunate enough to spend a pleasant afternoon being entertained by a visiting troupe of Morris Dancers. Jolly good they were too!



Origin of the Morris
Border Morris
It is now accepted that Border Morris, which comes from the English counties along the border between England and Wales, is in fact the oldest form. It is also the simplest and most violent, involving loud yells and beating the hell out of each other with big sticks.
It derives from a ritual display as performed by the English whenever any Welshman dared to venture across the border. The English, being in those days by nature xenophobic, devised the dance to illustrate to the Welshmen what they should expect if they were to venture any further. This can be compared with the posturing of other species of wild animals, in which the animals rarely actually fight with each other, but simply try to frighten each other off by putting on the fiercest display. This also explains the outlandish appearance of Border Morris dancers, and the blacked faces used as a disguise to make themselves harder to recognise at any subsequent police identity parade.

The Morris developed along the Welsh border first rather than the Scottish border simply because it was not necessary on the Scottish border due to the presence of Hadrian's Wall. However, as the wall fell into disrepair, the Morris developed in the north of England to compensate; but being developed later was somewhat more subtle. The warning to potential invaders from Scotland wearing kilts is obvious when you consider that Morris dancing in the north of England is either performed in heavy wooden clogs, involving a lot of high kicking, or involves the brandishing of swords.

These days, the Morris is still uniquely English, but is now performed to entertain rather than to frighten. To this end, Morris dancers sometimes now use hankies to wave around rather than sticks, which is where Cotswold Morris comes from.

So there you have it: the true origin of the Morris...

Posted by Nick @ 11:45 GMT

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Thursday, January 29, 2004

I think that this Blog would be a good place for people to make remarks about non-bookclub books that they are reading/re-reading. I would like to recommend, for example, a little book called Secret Sussex by Hardiman Scott (London 1949), which is packed full of joyous nuggets about the Sussex countryside, dreadful local poets, folk-moots and the like. Odd but charming, especially if you are completely unfamiliar as I am with that part of the world.

Incidentally, I notice that references to books keep creeping into our drinking club. Should we try and keep this under control?

Posted by Peter @ 23:02 GMT

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Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Drinking ?

Which remarks?

Posted by Nick @ 15:07 GMT

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West of the Moon - At Play in Rivendell

West of the Moon - At Play in Rivendell

Those hobbits are up to no end of mischief....

Posted by Nick @ 15:06 GMT

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I wish to disassociate myself from my wife's remarks about 'over-drinking' at bookclub 'sessions.'

Posted by Jon @ 14:40 GMT

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Tuesday, January 27, 2004

Canadian Picnic

Apparently the Book Club is set to become a picnic extravanganza. But who amongst us is best equipped to offer picnic advice?

Despite Canadian claims of ignorance on such matters it turns out that the Picnic King was in fact Canadian!

Perhaps some further reading on Picnic Etiquette might be in order.

If that doesn't fill in the blanks then picnichouse.com do a Canadian picnic basket.

Google only found 14 Welsh picnics, as opposed to 39 Canadian picnics, and 50 Australian picnics.

Oddly enough, an Australian has recently written a confession to murdering a Brit over a picnic table.

But fairs, fair. Google found 355 English picnics. Though why frozen old London should be the home of picnics is anyone's guess.

Nevertheless, Wicker & Wine do some rather attractive picnic baskets for the Canadian abroad. Or better still, if you're on the move, a range of picnic backpacks.

Harrods is probably the best place to go for picnic advice.

"For alfresco dining, an extensive picnic menu is available for our customers to select from. The romantic idyll of a picnic set amidst a beautiful rural setting or a great social traditional occasion such as Ascot or Henley, becomes an even more memorable moment with a delightful picnic hamper."

Not sure if "social traditional" rolls off the tongue too well, and they don't mention book club picnics. But then again "during the Second World War parts of the (Harrods) building were requisitioned for military use as the headquarters of the Canadian Royal Navy and Royal Air Force." Fancy that!

However, despite a horrid urban legend (and as members of Team Dustin we know all about these) that:

'Picnic' was a shortening of 'pick a nigger' and referred to an outdoor community gathering during which families ate from box lunches while a randomly-chosen black man was hanged for the diners' entertainment'

It turns out that picnics, perhaps unsurprisingly, come from France.

'Picnic' began life as a 17th-century French word — it wasn't even close to being an American invention. A 1692 edition of Origines de la Langue Françoise de Ménage mentions 'piquenique' as being of recent origin marks the first appearance of the word in print. As for how the French came by this new term, it was likely invented by joining the common form of the verb 'piquer' (meaning "to pick" or "peck") and a nonsense rhyming syllable coined to fit the first half of this new palate-pleaser.

Not surprising then, that Google should find 715 French picnics.

There is even such a thing as a French picnic knife.

Does this suggest that we may have a picnic expert in our midst?

By the way, if the terms 'picnic' and 'outing' can cause such offense to African Americans and Homosexuals, can we be confident that use of the term 'barbecue' will not offend Australians? I do hope that 'Book Club' is not a contentious term.

Posted by Nick @ 22:23 GMT

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'Dean scream' becomes online hit

Dean scream: "permalink"
BBC News

Posted by Nick @ 22:01 GMT

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David Krewinghaus

Art Director
I realise this doesn't strictly have much to do with books. However, some of the images struck me as having a similar feel to that conjured by Jhumpa Lahiri's detailing of the domestic and the mundane. And it is this aspect of her writing that has particularly charmed me so far. Besides, the images and layout are beautiful.

Posted by Nick @ 15:39 GMT

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Monday, January 26, 2004

More Matter, Less Art — The Slow Death Of The Newspaper Book Review Page

Poynter Online - The Plot Thickens at The New York Times Book Review
Accelerating a trend that began years ago, The New York Times Book Review, under new executive director Bill Keller, is reducing the size of its book review staff, and focusing more on non-fiction and more commercial fiction.

Posted by Nick @ 19:46 GMT

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Book goes to print in daily paper

An author of detective novels has made literary history by publishing his latest book, 44 Scotland Street , in a daily newspaper.
The Scotsman is printing the novel by Alexander McCall Smith, creator of the No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Posted by Nick @ 11:05 GMT

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Sunday, January 25, 2004

"On The Road" on the road

The original scroll manuscript for On The Road will be touring museums across the United States for the next three years.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay bought the scroll two years ago for $2.43 million. Now he's sending it back where it came from.

Cool. And a little "beat" no doubt.

A quick summary of everyone's favourite beat book!
Anyone need a copy?
Or just want some words from the man himself.
Here's to Jack. Cheers.

And in case anyone requires some driving tips?

Posted by Nick @ 21:00 GMT

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Comfort of strangers

David Sexton's article in The Evening Standard 19.01.04 regarding the rise of the literary weblog is mysteriously not available online from The Standard.
Fortunately, The Scotsman has it for anyone who's curious about the broader community our little ol' Book Club has joined.
If you're wondering what on earth this whole blog thing is all about this article provides a good explanation.

"The Bookslut is a friend to truth. She is Jessa Crispin, 25 - until recently writing from Austin, Texas, now living in Chicago. A college dropout, originally from Kansas, Crispin used to work as a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. She illustrates her site with a sketch of herself in the nude, reading hard, drawn by her brother-in-law and she has also had the high distinction of being called "ditch-dirty stupid" by Dale Peck (pic), after saying that when she attempted to read one his books, she noticed she was using the cover to try to saw through her wrist."

Posted by Nick @ 11:56 GMT

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Saturday, January 24, 2004

Where's the Beefheart?

A review of the Magic Band from The Guardian.

Dreams In The Daytime Coloured With Sunshine - a screensaver featuring over 30 of Don Van Vliet's paintings (2,761K). Just download and run to install.

Posted by Nick @ 09:29 GMT

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Wednesday, January 21, 2004

Jhumpa Lahiri - some useful bits and pieces

Guardian review of 'The Namesake' - Jhumpa Lahiri's recently published first novel.
"Lahiri made her debut with The Interpreter of Maladies, a Pulitzer Prize-winning more short-story collection, peopled by Asians whose work or study took them to the US. In refined, empathetic prose, she chronicled the stresses and strains of integration and assimilation, and her first full-length work covers similar ground. "

Times Review
Radio 4 Saturday Review discussion 17.01.04 Listen
Sawnet Profile (South Asian Women's NETwork)
Pulitzer citation
BBC - Pulitzer for Bengali-American writer
NYTimes (easy registration) has Chapter 1 of Interpreter of Maladies "A Temporary Matter" online

Posted by Nick @ 06:00 GMT

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Monday, January 19, 2004

Good work Nick! All I have to do now is figure out how to post stuff.
Agnes, am keen to get the Dostoyevskyian input which we missed at the meeting, once you've finished

Posted by Jon @ 17:26 GMT

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Posted by agnes @ 09:14 GMT

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Sunday, January 18, 2004

What Bill Clinton made of Darkness at Noon

Bernard Avishai, "Clinton's Darkness At Noon," The American Prospect vol. 10 no. 42, January 1, 1999 - February 1, 1999.

An interesting insight into how Clinton might better have evaded his Inquisitors.

"He could have made the case for privacy itself, suggesting that people who want to know what goes on behind closed bedroom doors (and even offices sometimes) should read, well, Darkness at Noon."
Thanks Jon.

Does anyone else feel like a character in a novel?

I can hear you all bidding to be the next Rubashov now. Remember to learn the code first, it'll be a lot easier in the long run.

Posted by Nick @ 16:22 GMT

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I think that depends on whether our opinions converge or not. Obviously some members may find it far easier to relate to the pictures on the covers than the contents of the books. It is only right and proper therefore, that they be free to argue amongst themselves. However, this is not to say that discussion of the various publication formats chosen over the years for the titles under discussion is without merit.

Posted by Nick @ 15:38 GMT

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Are we going to have furious rows about the relative merits of the covers of these books?

Posted by Peter @ 12:36 GMT

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Saturday, January 17, 2004

The next book will be "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
Winner of the Pulitzer for Fiction 2000

Posted by Nick @ 20:00 GMT

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Friday, January 16, 2004

"Darkness at Noon" by Arthur Koestler.

Posted by Nick @ 20:00 GMT

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Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Whitbread Book Award Winners Announced

What do D. B. C. Pierre, Mark Haddon, D. J. Taylor, Don Paterson and David Almond all have in common?

A Whitbread Award.

Posted by Nick @ 18:00 GMT

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