Sometimes you think you have read so much about war and memorials that you have developed a numbness, and then along comes a little paragraph that hits you hard and makes you realise that this is not so:

"In the first months of the war football was used as an incentive to enlistenment; the war, it was claimed, offered the chance to play ‘the ( Read more... )

Lawrence Durrell: The Alexandria Quartet

( In which our narrator proves to be most unreliable+ there are mentions of Cavafy + questions are asked if its what really happens or if its what we remember happening that is of the greatest value + the dealings of a large numbers of ex-pats in 1930’s Alexandria + Gnosticism and Coptic beliefs. )

Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day.

While being ill I have had the opportunity to re-watch the series Band of Brothers. And yes, it’s a great series and yes, it’s very well made - but I’m always a little puzzled by its reputation as a historical docu-drama. Several ( Read more... )