J. Betjeman, Summoned by Bells
T. Holland, In the Shadow of the Sword
M. MacCambridge, America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation
J. Major, My Old Man: a personal history of Music Halls
G. Orwell, Nineteen eighty-four*
What a month! Four of the six books here could have been BOTM in almost any other month. Honestly, by the time I got to Orwell's masterpiece I felt I was on a downward spiral (it would still have comfortably taken prizes in previous months). Honourable mention to MacCambridge's history of American Football, which is essentially perfect, though as a subject not quite up there with Sisman. That wasn't perfect - I felt the seventies were undercooked - but it was brilliant.^ Peter Brown once described PhDs in Late Antiquity as choosing your bishop. Perhaps more modern biographers should choose their academic. In both cases, it's a fantastic way to hang a history of a period and a world, especially if, like HTR, they knew everybody. It's also a great triumph of taking a world which now feels very remote, though with familiar contours, and making it immediate. Finally, of course, it immaculately allows us into HTR's own head - and that's compelling. Sisman also writes excellently, with some lovely barbs hidden in the text. This was a favourite.^^
^I should of course disclose a more personal reason for finding this all fascinating: as well as being a Christ Church man, HTR was also my MSt supervisor's stepfather. He makes the odd appearance, very sympathetically too.
^^I did in fact have lots of markers of wonderful gobbets to quote, but the child took them all out, despite being supervised by A at the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment