I wanted to write a little bit about things I've been reading, both in general and in particular. I've been tinkering with this here and there for a few weeks now, and couldn't quite get myself up to either posting it as-is or adding to it/fine tuning it. Then, as many of you probably know, my dad died on Sunday. That is still far too fresh, and too personal, to write about yet. Writing is a distraction, but posting anything else just now feels disrespectful, so this is just me clearing this one off the 'to do' pile, with the disclaimer that I haven't put much thought into it.
I'm putting it out pretty much as it already is, and if it seems unfinished, that's just how it's got to be. I'm going to continue to read (probably a lot) and I'm going to want to write about some of those other books too. Again, distractions are important.
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| Some Gielgud highlights, presented in whatever order my phone decided because I cannot be bothered |
One of the particular books was 'Gielgud - A Theatrical Life' by Jonathan Croall.
Now I hadn't previously been aware of John Gielgud, but I like to pick up histories and biographies, and I do quite like the theatrical.
The book mentions that John Gielgud was, for the most part, not politically aware and I can relate. I used to 'not do politics'.
It's not that I didn't care, in fact I care a great deal now that I know that everything is politics. It's just that I can't get my head around the more bureaucratic aspects. I can deal with questions of ethics and philosophy, but I can't understand border disputes and trade agreements, I don't know different voting systems or how laws are made or what all the different people in parliament actually DO.
So I'm probably never going to sit down and read a book about The War or any political biographies. But I like to think I pick up a bit more awareness, a little at a time, from my reading.
And so recently I've read a biography of John Gielgud, who was not political but lived through two worlds wars. I read Despised and Rejected by Rose Allatini, a novel written and set during the first World War. And I'm currently reading '18 Tiny Deaths' which also spans the period of both wars but is concerned with other matters (and from an American perspective).
These may not overlap in subject matter, but I think with each life I read about, I get a fuller picture of the times they lived through.
One further comment on my reading and recent events. I'm just coming to the end of '18 Tiny Deaths' and some may find it grim reading at this time (or at any time) but I'm finding that knowing some of this more clinical stuff is sort of reassuring. Having just read about the importance of the medical examiner system (which, in America at least, is a lot more efficient than the coroner system - I never even knew the difference before!) It's sort of good to know that one is involved somewhere. (Previous death reading has included a lot of Caitlin Doughty, and while I appreciate her advocacy on openness/acceptance towards death, right now I only feel my conflicting feelings regarding the funeral industry growing. But that's possibly more of a rant against capitalism, and certainly a discussion for another time).
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