Time to be in Earnest: A Fragment of AutobiographyIn 1997, P. D. James, the much loved and internationally acclaimed author of mysteries, turned seventy-seven. Taking to heart Dr. Johnson's advice that at seventy-seven it is "time to be in earnest," she decided to undertake a book unlike any she had written before: a personal memoir in the form of a diary. This enchanting and highly original volume is the result. Structured as the diary of a single year, it roams back and forth through time, illuminating James's extraordinary, sometimes painful and sometimes joyful life. Here, interwoven with reflections on her writing career and the craft of crime novels, are vivid accounts of episodes in her own past -- of school days in 1920s and 1930s Cambridge . . . of the war and the tragedy of her husband's madness . . . of her determined struggle to support a family alone. She tells about the birth of her second daughter in the midst of a German buzz-bomb attack; about becoming a civil servant (and laying the groundwork for her writing career by working in the criminal justice system); about her years of public service on such bodies as the Arts Council and the BBC's Board of Governors, culminating in entry to the House of Lords. Along the way, with warmth and authority, she offers views on everything from author tours to the problems of television adaptations, from book reviewing to her obsession with Jane Austen. Written with exceptional grace, this "fragment of autobiography" has already been received with enthusiasm by British reviewers and readers. The thousands of Americans who have enjoyed P. D. James's novels will be equally charmed. Diary or memoir or both, Time to Be in Earnest is a delight. |
From inside the book
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Page 96
... John Mortimer gave a luncheon today at the Royal Society of Literature to say goodbye as our Chairman . There were about twenty people pres- ent , most of whom I knew , and some of them friends I hadn't seen for too long . I sat between ...
... John Mortimer gave a luncheon today at the Royal Society of Literature to say goodbye as our Chairman . There were about twenty people pres- ent , most of whom I knew , and some of them friends I hadn't seen for too long . I sat between ...
Page 97
... John thought that we should be more active in promoting literature , and now indeed we are . This has been achieved without any loss of the spirit and ethos of the Society , a tribute to John's influence and wisdom . At 5:45 Andy called ...
... John thought that we should be more active in promoting literature , and now indeed we are . This has been achieved without any loss of the spirit and ethos of the Society , a tribute to John's influence and wisdom . At 5:45 Andy called ...
Page 269
... John B. , 102 Thompson , Percy , 238 Thorogood , Julie , 129 Thorpeness , 21-2 Times , 58 , 74 , 104 , 115 , 231 Titanic ( film ) , 152 Titian , 177 titles , book , 97–9 , 201 , 202 Toksvig , Sandi , 160 Tokyo , 194 Tolpuddle Martyrs ...
... John B. , 102 Thompson , Percy , 238 Thorogood , Julie , 129 Thorpeness , 21-2 Times , 58 , 74 , 104 , 115 , 231 Titanic ( film ) , 152 Titian , 177 titles , book , 97–9 , 201 , 202 Toksvig , Sandi , 160 Tokyo , 194 Tolpuddle Martyrs ...
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