Monthly Archives: June 2016

…and a brain surgeon writes

Much as I am enjoying writing this blog free of the constraints of 1914-15 Time, I think long-term followers may understand when I say that I still think of my 1914-15 ‘blography’ of George as Calderonia proper. Those followers will remember … Continue reading

Posted in Modern parallels, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A posh word for it…

The other day, I came across a word that was new to me: apophenia. It is not in Chambers Dictionary, and at first I wondered whether it was a misprint. But, of course, there is masses about it on the internet. … Continue reading

Posted in Modern parallels, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Progress

I’m relieved to say that I’ve completed the sixth draft of my Introduction to George Calderon: Edwardian Genius since June 2013 and cannot at the moment do more. It’s gone off to my biographer colleague for his attention. After he has put … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Thank you; and Bunty!

Last Thursday here in Cambridge I went to see a new production of Patrick Marber’s version of Strindberg’s Miss Julie, set in Britain 1945. I would be surprised if there is a tougher, less sentimental play touring England at this moment (it … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian marriage, Modern parallels, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘A sort of mother to us all’

Others’ observations about Kittie Calderon are rare (except for George’s in letters, of course). It was with great pleasure, therefore, that I heard recently from the film critic John Pym that he had come across several mentions of Kittie in … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian marriage, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Is this George Calderon?

Just as music gives people ‘ear-worms’, so biography brings us ‘phantom flies in amber’. As I explained in my posts of 5 January and 1 April 2015, over time the biographer becomes convinced s/he has seen things in print that … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Heroism and Adventure, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More Chekhovian than Anton

For an extreme example of what George Calderon called Chekhov’s ‘disjunctive manner’, I recommend: George touched on aspects of the ‘disjunctive manner’ in the Introduction (1912) to his translations of The Seagull and The Cherry Orchard, but he had expressed it most … Continue reading

Posted in Heroism and Adventure, Modern parallels, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A terrible anniversary

George Calderon is presumed to have died just after noon at the Third Battle of Krithia on 4 June 1915. Obviously, I refer first-time blog-visitors to my posts for that and subsequent days last year, the actual centenary of the … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian English, Edwardian marriage, Heroism and Adventure, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Mrs Stewart of Torquay

I have been on holiday in Devon. A happy side effect is that I was able to visit what I believe to be the property that ‘Mrs Stewart of Torquay’ lived in from at least 1914 until her death in … Continue reading

Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian marriage, Personal commentary | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment