Literary Merit.

[Poignard]

I recently read Orwell's "Burmese Days". He does not show British colonials in a very good light.

 

[tillergirl]

Er, did we ever define "Literary Merit"?

 

[Poignard]

Er, did we ever define "Literary Merit"?

Something I enjoyed reading

 

[tillergirl]

That'll do

 

[Kukri]

I am reading John Passmore’s “Old Man Sailing”, about his adventures in the First Lockdown, last year, and he has just stated, on page eight, that Paul Gallico set “The Snow Goose” in Walton Backwaters.

So let’s bag Paul Gallico too.

Oh, and John Passmore... I’m enjoying reading it.

 

[seivadnehpets]

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.

Great story nonetheless, shows that no burial can really be "in perpetuity"!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Sabine Baring-Gould (“Mehalah”)

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!

 

[steve yates]

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

 

[Kukri]

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

Agreed not comparable fame. See my post 63. But - Peter Grimes! ?

 

[steve yates]

Sorry, missed that post. Had to google peter grimes, but stopped dead, I've never liked opera

 

[johnalison]

Sorry, missed that post. Had to google peter grimes, but stopped dead, I've never liked opera

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.

 

[Kukri]

Peter Grimes scores twice, because Crabbe’s poem was also written and set in Aldeburgh.

 

[Dan Tribe]

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.
I'll take his word for it.

 

[Kukri]

In my teens I hung around with a bunch of really keen musical types, who gave concerts and put on long forgotten operas. I am not musical at all, but they had by far the best girls! So I know my way around this stuff.

 

[steve yates]

Surprised no one has mentioned charles stock

 

[Hydrozoan]

Surprised no one has mentioned charles stock

Me Sir! Me Sir! Back at #37.

 

[ex-Gladys]

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".

 

[Kukri]

I can't stand C Stock's book... It smacks of "My way is the only way for a true sailor".

Well, he was a Tax Inspector!

 

[Kukri]

Mind you, H Alker Tripp was Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, but be is less bossy...

Alker Tripp - Wikipedia

 

[ex-Gladys]

Well, he was a Tax Inspector!

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...