tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post8049789498921098774..comments2024-03-13T07:34:24.149+00:00Comments on The Age of Uncertainty: Derek's Last ChanceSteerforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-40875586993534082422010-09-28T19:57:49.168+00:002010-09-28T19:57:49.168+00:00You're absolutely right. I'm sure I would ...You're absolutely right. I'm sure I would have thought that Derek was a bit of a prat if I'd met him briefly, so there's a lesson for all of us.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-84758624734037206732010-09-28T13:31:57.105+00:002010-09-28T13:31:57.105+00:00I'm finding my reactions to Derek very surpris...I'm finding my reactions to Derek very surprising - if I'd met him in real life, I'd have found him boring, pompous and somewhat deranged, but here, with some of his inner dialogue laid out on the screen, he becomes a man of pathos, dignity and courage in the face of really difficult circumstances. <br /><br />As others have said, it takes real skill to edit diaries in such a fashion as to reveal the facets of a personality - thank you for making such an effort for Derek and for all of us who are sharing his life. I shall always remember the crossword puzzle cake!Kay Sextonhttp://writingneuroses.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-51858164330330780042010-09-27T17:58:41.808+00:002010-09-27T17:58:41.808+00:00Thank you for introducing me to Derek.
His writing...Thank you for introducing me to Derek.<br />His writing is always poignant and moving even though at the beginning part of me (the deeply unpleasant part) wanted to punch him.<br />He is a remarkable man.<br />I am imagining Mr Sumpter's surprise at receiving the pack of Mintoes and I am thrilled about the Invalid Care Allowance, and Brenda's new trousers.James A-Shttp://web.me.com/blackpittsgardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-72804333619198638562010-09-27T01:51:03.356+00:002010-09-27T01:51:03.356+00:00These excerpts from Derek's diary make me inex...These excerpts from Derek's diary make me inexpressibly sad. I remember you said earlier that he wanted to be a writer. Perhaps he didn't have the opportunity, or perhaps he didn't have the talent or the stick-to-it-iveness. But he does have a certain gift. "Hell it was, and just as keen," he says when passed over for promotion. Such a heartbreaking and powerful statement of his plight -- a conjunction of words which I will probably never forget. <br />Thank you for sharing his story with us. <br />Canadian ChickadeeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-10551353428114166012010-09-26T23:07:46.453+00:002010-09-26T23:07:46.453+00:00Actually I think the unintentional humour adds to ...Actually I think the unintentional humour adds to the poignancy. Not unlike an Alan Bennett character. The humour does not necessarily make someone less real, but more. I agree with Cristiane that what you have edited so far would make a wonderful monologue for the right actor (though no one immediately springs to mind. Paul Rhys perhaps?)<br /><br />I am so glad Derek was rescued from having to sell their house, though sad for him that this didn't come about in the way he might have wished. And I love him for loving his pet bunnies!<br /><br />Scary that the 1980s seem so recent, yet he is presumably no longer with us. I do hope there was a heaven waiting for this lovely man who tried so hard to be good all his life.The Poet Laura-eatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07779308486569849157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-76341819928683653822010-09-26T21:51:26.239+00:002010-09-26T21:51:26.239+00:00Occasionally, as others have suggested before on y...Occasionally, as others have suggested before on your "Derek" entries, I've thought how wonderful a book it would make.<br /><br />But actually, I realise that there would be too many people who read it for the laughs, rather than for the achingly sad poignancy.<br /><br />I was quite moved by this entry. Thanks for it.Resolute Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05543167556221747469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-8877713278278006542010-09-26T20:52:18.673+00:002010-09-26T20:52:18.673+00:00I hadn't, but passages like this would probabl...I hadn't, but passages like this would probably translate very well to the stage:<br /><br />"I set my lip on fire the other morning. And on Sunday night I had a dream. I became acquainted with an attractive woman with curly hair, but undefined facial features. I was much tempted by her and took her back to a basement with rusty radiators..."Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-30063595753371744102010-09-26T20:42:21.299+00:002010-09-26T20:42:21.299+00:00Have you thought of making these entries into a so...Have you thought of making these entries into a sort of Alan Bennett-ish monologue? I can only imagine how funny/poignant any number of amazing British actors could be.<br /><br />CristianeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-77372335980365708192010-09-26T20:28:08.495+00:002010-09-26T20:28:08.495+00:00That was emotional reading! Thank goodness Derek&#...That was emotional reading! Thank goodness Derek's wife got that allowance. I'm astonished by how involved I feel with Derek at this stage. Like you say, it was easy (and fun!) to laugh at him at first, but the more I get to know him the more I also have to respect him. What a shame he didn't get that promotion! What a shame he had to realise that he was probably 'part of the problem'.Sam Jordisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11847113158131387947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-40239060403651648462010-09-26T18:43:22.940+00:002010-09-26T18:43:22.940+00:00Yes, lines like "The icing was excellent, but...Yes, lines like "The icing was excellent, but the cake itself was rather dry for my taste" are pure Alan Bennett. <br /><br />Someone once accused me of making the whole thing up - I was flattered, as it would take a considerable talent to create Derek (which sadly I don't have).<br /><br />I was also intrigued by the blackbird comment, which is why I included this otherwise dull anecdote. It's the combination of platitudes and disarming candour that makes Derek so addictive. You never know what's coming next.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-11694589150341506282010-09-26T17:33:04.909+00:002010-09-26T17:33:04.909+00:00"Shirley James had never had Shloer before. H..."Shirley James had never had Shloer before. How sheltered can you be?" Derek holds a bright candle to Alan Bennett.<br /><br />I'm curious about the blackbird comment: in what way are men like that do you think?Foxesatdawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06603294148538497587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-24255805467956902592010-09-26T01:27:02.721+00:002010-09-26T01:27:02.721+00:00@His stoicism makes it all the more heartbreaking:...@His stoicism makes it all the more heartbreaking:<br /><br />this kind of philosophy is for very strong characters <br /><br />-----------<br />"In life's poker game, the optimist sees the pessimist's night and raises him the sunrise." My website: <a href="http://pokerstarsplus.pl&gt" rel="nofollow">Freerolle</a>Poker Starhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06390083163896653910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-73456941791176154642010-09-25T21:02:31.720+00:002010-09-25T21:02:31.720+00:00That line about Shloer just made me choke on my br...That line about Shloer just made me choke on my breakfast.The Parrothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05294135126053849897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-76380498028285689792010-09-25T20:50:04.467+00:002010-09-25T20:50:04.467+00:00Fascinating - a real insight into the lives of oth...Fascinating - a real insight into the lives of others.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11647405720597546140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-49291901812572912232010-09-25T19:02:21.580+00:002010-09-25T19:02:21.580+00:00Thanks for the link - wonderful!
I'm sorry th...Thanks for the link - wonderful!<br /><br />I'm sorry that Derek's becoming so depressing. It all seemed so amusing at the beginning - a rather absurd figure with delusions of grandeur that were undermined by malapropisms and Pooterish prose.<br /><br />But then I got to know Derek and grew to respect him for his courage and humanity in the face of adversity. He was a very extraordinary ordinary man.<br /><br />Thank you Mrs Trefusis for acknowledging the editing process. The actual diaries are a huge, unwieldy mess containing thousands of pages, most of which are very mundane entries about the daily workings of the local Mormon church.<br /><br />Derek's "confessional" writing often appears as a brief coda to normal entries and searching for them is like panning for gold. But eventually it's possible to construct a narrative.<br /><br />As you both say, thank God for the Invalid Care Allowance. I hope that the Government's reform of the benefits culture won't be so heavy-handed that it penalises people like Derek and Brenda.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-4263022567617336262010-09-25T17:43:03.235+00:002010-09-25T17:43:03.235+00:00His stoicism makes it all the more heartbreaking. ...His stoicism makes it all the more heartbreaking. Poor Derek. You edit the various chapters of his life so wonderfully well - he's so ordinary, yet so compelling. Such pathos in the picture drawn by his son. Thank God for the invalid care allowance.<br /><br /> To cheer myself up, i've had to go and read this again<br /><br />http://www.lettersofnote.com/2009/10/we-all-feel-like-that-now-and-then.html#Helen Brocklebankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04572008161376510229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-64911601232494316982010-09-25T16:49:15.952+00:002010-09-25T16:49:15.952+00:00Well, at least Derek got a break with the Invalid...Well, at least Derek got a break with the Invalid Care Allowance.<br /><br />He does like the the west country, doesn't he? St Enodoc and Dartmoor. Fascinating stuff.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494219959077922220noreply@blogger.com