Poignard
Well-known member
I recently read Orwell's "Burmese Days". He does not show British colonials in a very good light.
Something I enjoyed readingEr, did we ever define "Literary Merit"?
Great story nonetheless, shows that no burial can really be "in perpetuity"!I had heard that he was buried in the Friends' burial ground, next to th Friends' Meeting House in Turn Lane, an alleyway between Church Street and Cumberland street.
When the Friends no longer required it, the Meeting House was converted to a dwelling house by Frank Carr of the Maritime Museum, anticipating his retirement. However, he changed his plans and never moved in, selling it on to my parents, who lived there happily for their last couple of decades up to the early 1990's. At one stage, Mum took a lease on the burial ground (from the Friends, who still owned it) to use as a vegetable garden and her vegetables thrived in it. The lease had a clause in it prohibiting digging more than one spade's depth when cultivating the plot, so we never uncovered any bones.
Peter.
p.s. My understanding is clearly wrong - Wikipedia tells me he was buried in the churchyard of Boulge, a hamlet to the North of Woodbridge and makes no mention of any connection with the Friends. Indeed, it says "he grew disenchanted with Christianity and eventually ceased to attend church". The article includes a photo of a rather grand grave in the Boulge chuchyard, which rather explains why we never found any reference to him on the sorry collection of stones propped against the wall between Mum's veg patch and Woodbridge prep school grounds. P.
Also Horbury, where he wrote "Onward Christian Soldiers" for the children of the parish to sing on Whitsunday (Pentecost, these days!). My mother came from Horbury and had a strong affinity to that hymn, though she was of a much later generation!Sabine Baring-Gould (“Mehalah”)
Hardly of comparable fame surely? and I think he wrote non fiction did he not? Whereas Gunn is a novelist of major stature.There is indeed:
“The Smacksmen; a story of the Fishermen of the Borough”, by George Goldsmith Carter, published 1948. Cod, not herring.
Hardly of comparable fame surely? and I think he wrote non fiction did he not? Whereas Gunn is a novelist of major stature.
I read most of his novels when I was young and this thread has inspired me to go and reread them.
One of his I didnt know about then, and found a year or two ago is his story of quitting his job and buying a boat and going off around the western isles before he became a succesful novelist, its exellent!
Treat yourself. Off in a Boat: Amazon.co.uk: Neil M Gunn: Books
Much opera isn’t worth considering, but Peter Grimes is an effective story, and distinctly East Coast. I used to have the LPs and was lucky enough to see Peter Pears in the part in London, probably Sadlers Wells. Some of the music can sound a bit trite, but it works well on stage.Sorry, missed that post. Had to google peter grimes, but stopped dead, I've never liked opera
A friend, who is much better educated than me, assures me that it is much better than it sounds.Sorry, missed that post. Had to google peter grimes, but stopped dead, I've never liked opera
Surprised no one has mentioned charles stock
I can't stand C Stock's book... It smacks of "My way is the only way for a true sailor".Surprised no one has mentioned charles stock
I can't stand C Stock's book... It smacks of "My way is the only way for a true sailor".
I also went to a talk he did, and didn't go back after the break... Talk about pompous! I obviously respect all he did in Shoal Waters, but...Well, he was a Tax Inspector!