Category: Literature

Reunion

Fred Uhlman (1901 – 1985) was primarily an artist. I don’t know if the picture is a self-portrait. I don’t think it’s his style.

Last Waltz in Vienna

Might it be better to re-read books that have given pleasure and can do so again, rather than read something new which may disappoint?

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Categorised as Literature

August Gleanings

August is the cruelest month to gather gleanings, so a smaller than usual harvest.

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Categorised as Literature

War Games

Perhaps an antagonistic bull would buy this paperback if he were a bull in an airport bookshop. The publisher (Coronet) has packaged it to make it as unappealing as possible to a thoughtful reader.

Afghan Wars

Two Afghan wars in the 19th century are often quoted as a warning the Russians, then the US, UK and their allies and now perhaps China should have heeded.

July Gleanings

“My dear Rick, when will you realize that in this world today isolationism is no longer a practical policy?” (Casablanca)

Glass War

Two examples of dirty tricks targeting foreign powers in the 21st and 17th centuries.

First Catch Your Hare

The illustration is a red herring or a March hare or something. It is an interesting book but of no relevance today.

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Categorised as Literature

Tears Before Bedtime

Obituaries are usually kind but this is the best The Independent could muster when Barbara Skelton died in 1996: “selfish, sulky, socially unmanageable, agreeable only when she was in the mood – the victim of the incurable boredom which fostered her promiscuity and her notorious rudeness”.

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Categorised as Literature