Dear Bookclub,
Lynne's courage, cheerfulness and resolution were in full force as she treated us to a delicious dinner, spirited discussion and welcoming camaraderie: our evening with Erik Larson's "The Splendid and the Vile". Family heirloom china set the proper mood for Larson's account of Winston Churchill's first year as Britain's Prime Minister, reflective of "Keep Calm and Carry On". Slogans aside, we marveled at Churchill's brazen style, winning warfare and most of all, the depictions culled from Larson's crafting of historical documents, notably diaries.
Diaries provide colorful historic significance, which Larson mined and reported. A generation removed may not have yielded the same rich veins. I fear that most attempts at daily recording throughout my life have failed. Although armed with the finest blank books, from delicate childhood leather-bound diaries, shiny with gold-edge paper, pitiful tiny keys and locks, to hand-tooled leather cover specimens holding thick cotton paper, to the practical Moleskin varieties, the outcome is meager. Most of my books sport a few pages with well-intentioned starts but none would be Larson-worthy. The sped-up smartphone-driven world has reduced my trail to digital photos of family, friends, receipts, flowers, broken sprinklers, parking spaces, and screenshots of odd items meant to remind me of a task. It will take a fine writer, indeed, to make sense of our histories.
 |
| Mary Soames |
Please enjoy this link to an exhibition, curated by history students from Anglia Ruskin University, and produced to coincide with a two day international conference on diaries held at Churchill College and online, 23 and 24 March 2022:
https://www.chuarchivestories.uk/stories/keeping-and-making-diaries
Mary Soames, youngest daughter of Winston and Clementine Churchill, married to Christopher Soames, is one of many whose diaries are on display in this link. Note, the various handwriting and well-transcribed entries included.
Lynne's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"Master Slave Husband Wife" Ilyon Woo *chosen
"The Secret Life of Sunflowers" Marta Molnar
"The Five Wishes or MurrayMcBride" Joe Siple
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
No comments:
Post a Comment