tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post3733827803131191558..comments2024-02-26T00:59:26.907-08:00Comments on Ana the Imp: The Last Champagne SocialistAnastasia F-Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-68790983553949598782009-11-29T15:43:15.903-08:002009-11-29T15:43:15.903-08:00Ah, where does one begin with Sir John Mortimer. ...<b>Ah, where does one begin with Sir John Mortimer. I did not know about the memorial service. I'll have to look it up as I'm sure it must have been a magical otherworldly event. He had a scholarly command over the works of Lord Byron. I too, never got my head around his close connection with the Labour Party. I suspect it may have had something to do with his friends such as Lord and Lady Kinnock who were close to him. What follows is my personal tribute to his life and work.<br /><br />He passed away on 16 January. He was born on 21 April 1923 in Hampstead to Clifford Mortimer and Kathleen May (née Smith). At 17, John went up to Brasenose College, Oxford to study law. Brasenose College was then temporarily based at Christ Church – The Brasenose buildings having been re-commissioned for the war effort. He married Penelope Ruth Fletcher in 1949 from whom he had a son (Jeremy Mortimer) and a daughter (Sally Silverman). They divorced in 1971. He married Penelope Gollop in 1972 who bore him 2 daughters: Emily (born 1 December 1973) and Rosie (born 1984). In November 1961 John Mortimer had a son with the actress Wendy Craig. He found out about this in August 2004 and both son (Ross Bentley) and father were happily united. John Mortimer was awarded the CBE in 1986 and knighted in 1998. He wrote numerous books and presented TV programs among which some of the best remembered will be the autobiographical <i>A Voyage Round My Father</i> (1963), the TV dramatisation of Evelyn Waugh’s classic <i>Brideshead Revisited</i> (1981) and his <i>magnum opus</i>: <i>Rumpole of the Bailey</i> (what I refer to as <i>Rumpole à la Bailey</i>). He will also be remembered for skilfully defending the trail against D. H. Laurence’s novel <i>Lady Chatterley’s Lover</i> in 1960, the second day of which was attended by Sylvia Plath who wrote about it in her journals.<br /><br />The funeral was held on 22 at St Mary’s Church (next to the White Cottage where Sir John Mortimer had lived with his first wife), Turville (near Henley-on-Thames. This is also where his parents lie buried. Among those that attended were Jeremy Paxman, Melvyn Bragg, Lord Kinnock and his wife Glenys. Ross Bentley was seated in the front row with his mother Wendy Craig. The vicar said in her sermon</b><br /><br />Sir John called himself and atheist for Christ. He always came to midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. But he emphatically did not believe in life after death. My hope, is that he has had a wonderful surprise. <br /><br />(Valerie Grove. ‘Church funeral of atheist John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole.’ <i>The Times</i>, 23 January 2009).<br /><br /><b>His wife Penelope read from Shakespeare’s <i>Richard III</i> after which a recording of John Mortimer reading from Wordsworth’s ‘Tintern Abbey’ was played. Rosie and Emily recited Byron’s ‘So we’ll go no more a-roving’ which I think must have been an absolutely inspired choice. His daughter Sally along with 6 of his grandchildren read from ‘Ecclesiastes.’<br />Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’ played as the crowd walked out into the obliging sunshine.</b>Rehan Qayoomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02391797858691917631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-75921476594641485912009-11-22T15:43:55.542-08:002009-11-22T15:43:55.542-08:00You will be more than welcome, Bruno. :-)You will be more than welcome, Bruno. :-)Anastasia F-Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-52940164065007696762009-11-22T03:33:41.903-08:002009-11-22T03:33:41.903-08:00It's very interesting. Good subject.
I'll ...It's very interesting. Good subject.<br />I'll come back again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-86188800225515239202009-11-20T00:48:19.440-08:002009-11-20T00:48:19.440-08:00Thanks for that link, Jessica. :-)
Hels,yes, I&#...Thanks for that link, Jessica. :-)<br /><br />Hels,yes, I've seen Leo McKern in the role of Rumpole. He was truly excellent. Mortimer dedicated one of his collections to him.Anastasia F-Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-30717351719120783132009-11-19T20:53:41.213-08:002009-11-19T20:53:41.213-08:00There are two connections with Australia. Firstly ...There are two connections with Australia. Firstly the rather wonderful Leo McKern was in fact born, raised and educated here. Secondly Sir John Mortimer spent time here - I heard him speak in public then I had the good fortune to have a short personal conversation with him afterwards.<br /><br />I loved the television programme so it was not surprising to me at all that Sir John Mortimer would be an excellent speaker and thinker.<br /><br />Vale JohnHelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849907428208235392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-77089513737151424352009-11-19T20:43:36.196-08:002009-11-19T20:43:36.196-08:00Nice blog, here is some more information on Conte...Nice blog, here is some more information on <a href="http://www.spacify.com/contemporary-lighting.htm" rel="nofollow"> Contemporary Lighting. </a>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12178146565602568113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-40550273971350377412009-11-19T19:13:57.193-08:002009-11-19T19:13:57.193-08:00And you are always welcome, my dear friend. :-)And you are always welcome, my dear friend. :-)Anastasia F-Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-61289860887436284712009-11-19T18:40:33.117-08:002009-11-19T18:40:33.117-08:00Ana,
Here I am again, reading more history.Ana,<br />Here I am again, reading more history.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05949573308782388848noreply@blogger.com