DW in the Summer edition of The Oldie

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Darren
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DW in the Summer edition of The Oldie

Post by Darren »

I once read somewhere that the literary critic Michael Barber interviewed DW shortly before his death. Whilst searching for a record of this "interview" I found that he has written an article about DW in the Summer edition of The Oldie magazine that went on sale on 24th June.

I haven't bought it myself but it should still be for sale in WH Smiths as it was only published 11 days ago and it is the Summer edition. The article isn't available online but it is mentioned on their website: http://www.theoldie.co.uk/in-this-issue - scroll down to the bottom and you will see it.

I wonder if he mentions anything about his interview with DW.

The initial reference to his interview with DW was in a web article he wrote 4 years ago - it's a positive one which bodes well for his latest scribblings in The Oldie.

http://www.existentialennui.com/2011/01 ... evils.html
Regards,

Darren.
Darren
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Post by Darren »

Hi Folks,

I bought the Summer edition of The Oldie magazine with the DW feature. And it is an enjoyable article.

The writer, Michael Barber, explains how he recently found an old piece of paper that he had written on decades ago as a child when, on reading The Devil Rides Out, he calculated his own occultic number using the method as described in the novel. I remember doing the same on my first reading.

Barber makes lots of interesting points, for example the “literary agent Giles Gordon used to recall how, as a keen young editor at Hutchinson, he made the mistake of trying to tidy up Wheatley’s latest offering. Instead of praise he got a rocket from the boss, Sir Robert Lusty, who told him that ON NO ACCOUNT WERE MR WHEATLEY’S BOOKS TO BE EDITED.â€￾

There is nothing new in the article – I think everything is taken from Phil Baker’s book. But it is positive exposure for our hero and much of its content will be new and surprising to the readers of The Oldie (which has a circulation of over 45000). And what a great magazine, it is the first time I have read it (the name always put me off) - it is similar to The Listener magazine which I still miss nearly 25 years after it’s demise.
Regards,

Darren.
shanedwyer
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Post by shanedwyer »

I love A Dance to the Music of Time. But, until I'd read the article, I'd never appreciated that DW was the model for one of the characters.

Thanks Darren
Cibator
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Post by Cibator »

That edition of The Oldie has just made it to NZ, so I bought the issue (as I sometimes do). Good to see DW getting a mention again nowadays, although, as Darren says, there's nothing really new there.

And Mr Barber's actually been a bit slipshod with some of his statements. Though it's true DW had a less stressful time of it than many for much of WW1, I don't think anyone who suffered a poison-gas attack can be said to have had a "cushy" war.

Nor is it really correct to say DW was "rapidly" promoted to Wing Commander. As anyone who's read The Deception Planners will be aware, he didn't actually achieve that rank till early 1944, near the end of his spell at the JPS (and he had to give the powers-that-were a bit of a nudge to get it). P/O to W/Cdr in three years might seem quick by modern standards, but wouldn't have been unknown in wartime - people like Guy Gibson followed a similar path in the same sort of time-frame. But then again, maybe it was unusually rapid for a base-wallah, without all those heavy casualties thinning out the higher ranks ....
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