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Episode 3

National Service in Egypt was an odd sort of prelude to an Oxford degree.

From Biggles to bee-keeping, John Carey threads together the chapters of his life in books - taking in politics, social history and the skirmishes of academia along the way.

Vignettes of pre-war Hammersmith and Barnes accompany affectionate accounts of Saturday jobs which he was expected to do to compensate the household for staying on at school.

The book is also partly a tribute to the grammar school system. He skewers the snobbishness of Oxford in the 50s but also gives us endearing portraits of the writers and scholars he met and was taught by - including Graves, Larkin and Heaney.

Later in his life, his politics and his sometimes controversial cultural criticism take centre stage, producing a commentator who is not afraid to move between genres and labels, always saying something refreshing and frequently unexpected.

Episode 3
National Service in Egypt was an odd sort of prelude to an Oxford degree.

Read by Nicholas Farrell
Abridged and directed by Jill Waters
A Waters Company production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4.

15 minutes

Last on

Thu 3 Apr 2014 00:30

Credits

Role Contributor
Reader Nicholas Farrell
Director Jill Waters
Abridger Jill Waters
Author John Carey

Broadcasts

  • Wed 2 Apr 2014 09:45
  • Thu 3 Apr 2014 00:30

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