August 15, 2019August 15, 2019

‘I have the strongest possible dislike for Ireland. I dislike that awful national egotism, always going on about what it means to be Irish.’

I have previously blogged about Anthony Powell. I’m well aware that he had little time for Ireland and the Irish – not something especially hard to discern from a quote likethis…

August 14, 2019August 15, 2019

Anthony Powell on the strange case of Ashton-Gwatkin

From Duncan Fallowell’s interview with Anthony Powell “Twentieth Century Characters” ‘The only time something I’ve written has attracted the law was when I reviewed a novel of Sartre’s for the Times…

February 24, 2018February 25, 2018

Sheer “determination to live by the will” : Allan Massie on Widmerpool

I haven’t read much of The Spectator lately; it seems to have less and less of interest. Once, regardless of one’s political views, the literary quality of the magazine was…