September 22, 2004

The Widmerpool Award

Posted by Chris

Over at his blog, Stephen Pollard reproduces his own article from the Times . A few paragraphs:

The Anthony Powell Society is to give its annual Widmerpool award this year to the journalist Sir Max Hastings. The award is in honour of Kenneth Widmerpool, one of the 20th century’s great fictional characters, a recurring presence in Powell’s series of novels, A Dance to the Music of Time.

According to the society: “Widmerpool is variously pompous; self-obsessed and self-important; obsequious to those in authority and a bully to those below him. He is ambitious and pushy; ruthless; humourless; blind to the feelings of others; and has a complete lack of self-knowledge.”

The description is redolent of so many characters in public life that more must be made of it.

Indeed, Stephen, indeed ….

Posted on September 22, 2004 11:29 PM UTC
Comments

Who got the Pamela Flitton award?

Posted by John Kozak · September 23, 2004 12:18 AM

I think I have first claim on the JG Quiggin award.

Posted by John Quiggin · September 23, 2004 12:30 AM

Working our way down the Modern Library’s list of the top fifty 20th century novels, we had an all-night reading of A Question of Upbringing last Friday. It was decided we wouldn’t attempt the whole series.

Posted by will · September 23, 2004 03:20 AM

“we had an all-night reading of A Question of Upbringing last Friday. It was decided we wouldn’t attempt the whole series.”

Depends where you live, up to a point. A sympathetic portrait of Eton in the early 20s may not ring many bells in Nebraska or Chittagong.
I started, accidentally, with “A Buyer’s Market”, which is a bit more “universal”.
How Pollard/Widmerpool-like to fail to appreciate the applicability. I wouldn’t wish his nemesis on anybody, mind, nor Stringham’s come to think of it.

Posted by dave heasman · September 23, 2004 10:05 AM

The decision was made beforehand, for reasons of human physical capacity, not because we didn’t like or anticipated not liking the series. I suppose we could work through the other novels, but we have 40 odd more books on the list to read.

Posted by will · September 24, 2004 03:59 AM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.