Holy Dread: Diaries 1982-1984

James Lees-Milne

Editions

Review

This entertaining ninth volume of Lees-Milne’s addictive diaries (following the marvellous Deep Romantic Chasm: Diaries, 1979-1981 pbk £12.99) is simply a must for those already familiar with his earlier works.  As anyone familiar with those books would agree, this clever queen just gets better with the passing years.  J L-M knew everybody, and whilst not everybody cared to know him, most people in his circles certainly were aware of him and his bitching with pen and tongue.  Many of the persons mentioned in the diary – as in the earlier one – are considered by the author to be ‘snobs’: read the book and judge for yourself who the biggest one is!

But he does hobnob with aristocrats, politicians and rock stars – even if the latter only through his wife’s garden designing. (Alvide, the wife, planned Mick Jagger’s ‘jardin’ for his French château.)  The language of the diary is either engaging or irritating, depending on whether you ‘motor’ through South London on your way to Glyndebourne, or simply drive there.  And surely you keep your car in the ‘motor-house’, and whip your whippet if someone parks his car in front of it (the garage, or ‘motor-house’, that is)?

There are obviously more melancholy dates in this volume: Boofy, Buffy, Bundy, Bondie et al are dropping like flies and J L-M himself has traumatic operations.  Can’t wait for the next posthumous lot of these camp memories.  In the meantime, do bear in mind that meeting royalty is very hard: ‘One gets absolutely nowhere.’ - review by Rubio Lindroos

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