July’s reading was dominated by Lord Vansittart’s monumental and extraordinary memoir ‘The Mist Procession’. This eccentric figure had a unique perspective on the political tribulations of the ’20s and ’30s, and his account has a very allusive, Macaulayesque character. His manner and style reminded me of Enoch Powell. I was surprised that none of his sayings have made the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations: Nigel Rees suggests that may be because they lack an ‘X-Factor’. That could be so, but I would reply that there are a helluva lot of quotes in the Dictionary which would fail on that metric. Anyway, I have included in the July Commonplace entries a number of his observations that caught my fancy.
For those ardent addicts tracking the Ruthenian story, I have added a postscript (Ruthenia). More to come next month! (July 31, 2014)
Ditto. Just a few Commonplace entries added. (June 30, 2014)
Another quiet month. Commonplace entries added, and a couple more examples of Hyperbolic Contrast. (May 31, 2014)
A quiet month. Just the regular Commonplace entries added. (April 30, 2014)
I have added an essay on Ruthenia – that mysterious territory situated in the centre of Eastern Europe, and now in the Ukraine. The normal updates to my Commonplace file appear, as well as a few minor additions and edits. (March 31, 2014)