The Roy Strong Diaries 1967-1987 (True Story)

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Large Hard Cover

The Roy Strong Diaries

1967 - 1987

by

Roy Strong

From the late 60's until, at least, the late 80's, Roy, later Sir Roy, Strong was probably the only man in the street recognizable museum director and art expert in the UK, the cartoonists' and photographers' delight with his Edwardian moustache, slight small build and huge puppy eyes, the kind more commonly seen in the "art" of the Place at Montmartre or on the railings of parks, sold to the tourists. Behind the image, however, there lurked a highly intelligent and, at hazard, a very good man, the latter quality coming out in his love for not only his wife, but strikingly, for his two cats, one of whom died, tragically, during the period covered by these diaries. One point that amazed me is that he moves as if born "im Glanz der Krone", moving amid royals et al with panache and ease, yet was born to poor parents who did not even help him much; indeed, his father is portrayed by him as a bullying monster, drunk and feckless much of the time. His erudition and general education seem almost peerless. Certainly he is exasperated by the vulgar level of the Trustees of the Victoria & Albert, his main Museum. Particularly singled out for appalled criticism is the furniture seller, Conran. Prior to Thatcher, the Museum had been a government department, run so badly that the services agency did not even have a map of the drains on the place, while the previous Director had typed his own letters (the secretary could not take shorthand...). It struck this reviewer as odd that the two other diarists of the period, Woodrow Wyatt and Alan Clark, are not mentioned at all, save for a fleeting reference to the latter reading at the memorial service to his father, Kenneth Clark, who was in Strong's favour or vice versa. Yet Wyatt and Strong were both captivated, for some reason, by the Queen Mother. Interesting portraits are drawn of many of the fleetingly great or celebrated, including Princess Diana and others. Overall, Strong prefers to restrain his criticism, except where the people are so vulgar, brainless or venomous that they ask for it. Strong and his like are valuable to any country, especially England. What happened to people like this?

Pages: 461

Condition: Very Good, the spine is tight

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