When I was invited to a preview of independent filmmaker Mike Freedman’s latest documentary, I turned on my SatNav and headed for somewhere in SE11. Manoeuvring into the narrow driveway of what initially looked like a modern housing development, but then appeared to be the entrance to some sort of ... Read More...
Month: June 2012
Why poets should never attempt small talk with beautiful actresses... If I hadn't happened to read a review of a biography of Richard Burton - and I wouldn't have happened to read it had I not noticed that it (the review) was by the excellent Byron Rogers - I would never ... Read More...
Frank rights a wrong... In a comment on Brit's Dabbler Diary, Malty celebrated “Dabbling back to basics, dosh, booze, football, politics, seventies rock”. It occurred to me that these are all topics which have been woefully neglected in Key's Cupboard. Time, then, to put that right, at one fell swoop. Dosh. Phonetically, ... Read More...
His soldier Tommy is one of the great English archetypes. But did Kipling invent or merely popularise him? Mr Slang investigates... Kipling, by allusion, has cropped up regularly in these posts. Enough of the oily rags. It is time for the engineer. Yet Kipling is not at first sight a particularly ‘slangy’ ... Read More...
Concluding Brit the Elder's fun quiz for all book-lovers (see part 2 here).... Simply identify the literary work and author from the initials. A few are slightly obscure but you'll know most. There's also a clue for each one. Readers are free to post answers in the comments, so don't read those if you don't ... Read More...
The Dabbler publishes its guide to Great Britain for those of our foreign readers who intend to use the events of the summer as an excuse to make the pilgrimage. This summer, London will host the Olympic Games, and many foreign visitors will visit Great Britain. Although the games are still ... Read More...
A collection of archival clips puts to shame a seedy corner of today's TV... I just caught a wonderful programme on BBC4. That's a sentence I could write a few times a week: the channel's worth the licence fee alone, unlike that nice Mr Attenborough who used to be, but has ... Read More...
Music composed in the fifteenth century that will always be in tune with the cosmos... On March 25th 1436, Florence cathedral was consecrated by Pope Eugenius IV. In his two years in the city, the Pope had not, thus far, set foot outside the monastery of Santa Maria Novella where he ... Read More...
We imagine that this might be one of our more popular book club choices, as this month we’re giving away 12 copies of Robert Macfarlane's fantastic new book to members of our Dabbler Book Club and our esteemed, yet highly secretive League of Dabblers…if you haven't yet joined up, now ... Read More...
Gwyn's speed folly-hunting trip around Scotland takes him to Ross & Cromarty... Sir Hector Munro's folly was built to commemorate his own heroism: a replica of the Gates of Negapatam, an Indian stronghold he had captured from the Dutch on November 12th 1781 after a four week seige. After twenty years ... Read More...