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S'està carregant… Alan Clark: The Biography (edició 2009)de Ion Trewin
Informació de l'obraAlan Clark: The Biography de Ion Trewin
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Apunta't a LibraryThing per saber si aquest llibre et pot agradar. No hi ha cap discussió a Converses sobre aquesta obra. Car enthusiast, political and personal diarist, hypochondriac and serial philanderer, Alan Clark was a strange mixture of self-confidence and self-doubt. The one was doubltless the result of an education at Eton, the other perhaps of being the eldest child of wealthy but distant parents (his father was the art historian Sir Kenneth Clark). A moderately successful Conservative politician, as well as a self-made military historian (though he exaggerated his military experience) the publication of his "staggeringly, recklessly candid" diaries made him instanlty famous in England. But however candid, they did not tell all and Mr Trewin's biography fills in a number of gaps and puts them into the context of his life. Very readable, though there are occasional grammatical infelicities and a few spelling mistakes. Sense ressenyes | afegeix-hi una ressenya
Premis
Although Alan Clark died in 1999 his reputation lives on - a TV series (John Hurt as Alan) gave BBC4 its first million+ audience. His diaries (3 vols) sold more than half a million copies. A noted historian, he was Tory MP for Plymouth Sutton and controversial minister under Mrs Thatcher; later MP for Kensington & Chelsea. His biographer has drawn on an Aladdin's cave of papers at the Clarks' Saltwood Castle home in Kent. Ion Trewin tells an enthralling story of the life that Clark himself chose not to discuss: an unhappy childhood with neglectful parents (his art historian father Kenneth Clark, best known for his 'Civilisation' TV series). Fire destroyed his first school; he endured wartime Eton, at Oxford he read history under Hugh Trevor-Roper and drove large cars (he was known as 'Klaxon' Clark). His parents insisted he read law; passing his exams at the 3rd attempt, he never practised. His first novel - accepted on the 13th submission - was pulped because of libel, but went on to gain praise. The Donkeys, his first work of history, brought down the wrath of military historians. Clark changed course and into politics in his forties. Readers may think they know Clark's political life from his diaries, but Clark himself neglected to tell all, about Mrs T's downfall, the Matrix Churchill arms to Iraq scandal and much more. He adored women - Trewin has tracked down his first great love, a ballet dancer, and his last infatuation - and courted a schoolgirl he first met when she was 16 and he 30. This was Jane, to whom he remained married - if not faithfully - until his death from a brain tumour in 1999. The extent of his extra-marital escapades is now revealed. Here for the first time the unknown Alan Clark stands revealed. No s'han trobat descripcions de biblioteca. |
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Google Books — S'està carregant… GèneresClassificació Decimal de Dewey (DDC)941.085092History and Geography Europe British Isles Historical periods of British Isles 1837- Period of Victoria and House of Windsor 1945-1999 History, geographic treatment, biography BiographyLCC (Clas. Bibl. Congrés EUA)ValoracióMitjana:
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It’s a compelling read, about a compelling man. It’s good too to get an overall view of someone who was many things at once: upper class snob, Etonian, rich as hell, historian, Conservative MP and cabinet minister, wit, diarist… and serial womaniser. It’s often said he rivals Samuel Pepys as a diarist. In many ways he is far better.
I’m trying to resist the temptation to indulge is quoting from his many bon mots but can’t restrain myself from giving this one: Up before the local Conservative party activists and trying to get selection as the parliamentary candidate he was asked if he had skeletons in his past. ‘I’ve got whole cupboards of them’, he replied, gaining a huge laugh and, eventually, the nomination. And as regards his (well earned) notoriety as a man who had an affair with a woman AND ALSO her daughters, far from this being being a problem with the party faithful by alienating women and angering men (as had been feared) — ‘the exact opposite happened. It amused women and impressed men no end’ his biographer reports.
Anyone who has read the diaries will relish reading the wit again, but a biography is not a diary and we are allowed to see the final, slow demise of Alan Clarke into terminal illness. It’s well handled by Ion Trewin but nothing could disguise the dreadfulness of it all. Clarke really does merit the old cliche: We will never look upon his like again.
Recommended. ( )