Roger Mexico Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 2 hours ago, John Wright said: Well, I’ve read the Island of Extraordinary Captives. About to start Barbed Wire University. All I can say about Extraordinary Captives is that it’s very poorly written. The research, despite a huge bibliography, is hit and miss, and there are some obvious howlers. It jumps around. Lots of extraneous padding. It’s a closely typed 475 pages. I started checking, after a friend, also reading, questioned if you could see the Harbour from Hutchinson Square ( you can ), the ferry ( you can ). Later the author says one of his subjects sailed from Liverpool at the start of his internment. I need to check the dates the Island service was swapped out to Fleetwood for strategic reasons. Further he refers to a Manx Politician as EW Farnger ( prominent Advocate, Douglas Councillor and MHK EW Fargher of Dickinsons ) ok, typo and poor proof reading. Then he goes on to say that Ireland was visible in the distance from Hutchinson Square. I nearly gave up. I won’t list the rest of the myriad errors. I persevered. I didn’t relate to the people he’s writing about. Even his main biographical character, Peter Fleischman, is still a cardboard cut out enigma by the time I’d turned the final page. Yes I noticed the Ireland error from one of the Guardian pieces, you thought that would have been queried by anyone who had ever seen a map of the British isles with Douglas marked on it, but editing seems to a lost art. The general problem I had with the story he told was that rather than being new and undiscovered, as advertised, it was the most commonly told on - the arty types in Hutchinson Camp. The much wider stories were pretty much ignored again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 On 2/18/2022 at 4:41 PM, Roger Mexico said: Yes I noticed the Ireland error from one of the Guardian pieces, you thought that would have been queried by anyone who had ever seen a map of the British isles with Douglas marked on it, but editing seems to a lost art. The general problem I had with the story he told was that rather than being new and undiscovered, as advertised, it was the most commonly told on - the arty types in Hutchinson Camp. The much wider stories were pretty much ignored again. Fully agree. There wasn’t anything new. Another incongruity. SS Arandoran Star is described as built “in Cheshire”. Technically correct, but Birkenhead might sit better. Crosby Eden Airfield ( Carlisle Lake District Airport ) just outside Lancaster, apparently. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Halsall Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 (edited) I noticed the Ireland error also, I assumed they were confused with perhaps the Lakes, or maybe they had seen Ireland after travelling somewhere over to the west. Very interesting article in the Saturday Times with Matthew Kneale, the son of Judith Kerr - The Tiger who came to tea author - with childhood references to the IOM. The Manx Grandfather had been a journalist and ran the Mona's Herald. There is a great line about his great aunt who wouldn't travel 12 miles to Peel 'because she considered it a wicked and immoral place'. You need to subscribe to the below link but I read it in the Review section on Saturday! https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/step-into-the-kitchen-that-inspired-the-tiger-who-came-to-tea-qbvttdvkp Edited February 21, 2022 by Will Halsall 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 1 hour ago, Will Halsall said: I noticed the Ireland error also, I assumed they were confused with perhaps the Lakes, or maybe they had seen Ireland after travelling somewhere over to the west. Very interesting article in the Saturday Times with Matthew Kneale, the son of Judith Kerr - The Tiger who came to tea author - with childhood references to the IOM. The Manx Grandfather had been a journalist and ran the Mona's Herald. There is a great line about his great aunt who wouldn't travel 12 miles to Peel 'because she considered it a wicked and immoral place'. You need to subscribe to the below link but I read it in the Review section on Saturday! https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/step-into-the-kitchen-that-inspired-the-tiger-who-came-to-tea-qbvttdvkp There was also his idiosyncratic and inconsistent use of 12, 24, am, pm time recording. 700 in the morning 7.00 am 07.00 in the evening 0930 all within 2 pages. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 2 hours ago, Will Halsall said: wouldn't travel 12 miles to Peel 'because she considered it a wicked and immoral place'. Hasn’t changed then. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebushy Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 That's the main draw of the place for me! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Halsall Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 2 hours ago, John Wright said: Hasn’t changed then. You are so predictable haha, I lined that up for you in bold too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 20 minutes ago, Will Halsall said: You are so predictable haha, I lined that up for you in bold too. Ah, but it’s why I go there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Ship Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 6 hours ago, Will Halsall said: ... Very interesting article in the Saturday Times with Matthew Kneale, the son of Judith Kerr - The Tiger who came to tea author - with childhood references to the IOM. The Manx Grandfather had been a journalist and ran the Mona's Herald. There is a great line about his great aunt who wouldn't travel 12 miles to Peel 'because she considered it a wicked and immoral place'. ... Isn't his dad quite well known too? And wasn't Judith Kerr's family German? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wright Posted February 21, 2022 Author Share Posted February 21, 2022 18 hours ago, Ghost Ship said: Isn't his dad quite well known too? And wasn't Judith Kerr's family German? Yes, Quatermass. Nigel Kneale, brother of Bryan. Yes. She was born in Germany, Weissman, fled to Switzerland, arrived Britain 1936. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTeapot Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 6 hours ago, Will Halsall said: Very interesting article in the Saturday Times with Matthew Kneale, the son of Judith Kerr - The Tiger who came to tea author - with childhood references to the IOM. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/step-into-the-kitchen-that-inspired-the-tiger-who-came-to-tea-qbvttdvkp Reminder that Matthew Kneale wrote English Passengers, which if people haven't already read it, they should. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Halsall Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 20 minutes ago, Ghost Ship said: Isn't his dad quite well known too? And wasn't Judith Kerr's family German? She left Berlin in 1933 when she was 9, after years living in cheap hotels, rented flats and boarding houses, in Switzerland, Paris, Belgium and London she settled in Barnes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladys Posted February 21, 2022 Share Posted February 21, 2022 Nice to know of the Manx connection to the book, which also gives us a link to the late Sean Lock's 'The Tiger Who Came for a Pint". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Ship Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 20 hours ago, TheTeapot said: Reminder that Matthew Kneale wrote English Passengers, which if people haven't already read it, they should. An excellent book*, as is Sweet Thames. I don't know why he hasn't written more. *It's nearly 20 years since I read it, but I remember being struck by what, if I recall correctly, was an explanation for a ship's crew's laziness being that they were Manx... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Ship Posted February 22, 2022 Share Posted February 22, 2022 (edited) 21 hours ago, John Wright said: Yes, Quatermass. Nigel Kneale, brother of Bryan. Yes. She was born in Germany, Weissman, fled to Switzerland, arrived Britain 1936. I didn't know they were brothers. Nigel Kneale also wrote the very creepy The Stone Tape - which I used to have on a BBC DVD but lost when we moved house - and of course The Year of the Sex Olympics, which I'm too young to remember but which apparently forecast the living hell that is now reality television. [Edit: Just looking at Wikipedia to check the date of the Sex Olympics - 1968, and I wouldn't remember it because we didn't have BBC2 then and I was too young - and I see he also scripted an episode of Kavanagh QC dealing with the experience of a Jewish woman surviving a concentration camp.] Edited February 22, 2022 by Ghost Ship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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