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It's A Don's Life by Mary Beard (view source)
Revision as of 08:49, 21 August 2020
, 08:49, 21 August 2020no edit summary
Crammed with speculations, she fascinates on matters such as what Romans might have worn under their togas, Tacitus on his father-in-law, Enoch Powell's apparent failure to think through the full implications his classical quotation from the sixth book on the Aeneid about ''rivers of blood'' and even did St Valentine really exist? She shows her concern over issues, from menstruating Kenyan schoolgirls being exposed to exploitation from multinational tampon manufacturers, to the condition of Guantanamo detainees. She deserves applause for her vigorous support of Amnesty. She joins her students in protest, puts on an uncomfortable and tight-fitting orange jumpsuit and rattles her tin, between lectures in the cobbled streets of Cambridge.
She questions the iconography of everything from figures on coins, newly emerging statues from French rivers and the ceremonial use of the Olympic torch, the latter owing much to fascist filmic propaganda; an invention of Hitler and Leni Riefenstahl. At this point, I began idly speculating if she might not do well to consider taking over as Mayor of London from ''call me but a toenail on the body politic'', Mr Boris Johnson. Reading Mary Beard and her blogger's replies is are enormous fun - especially if like me you agree with her on so many of them.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.
If this book appeals then you might also enjoy [[The Literary Tourist by Nicola J Watson]] and [[Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive by Jared Diamond]]. You might also enjoy [[All in a Don's Day by Mary Beard|All in a Don's Day]].or [[Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations by Mary Beard|Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures and Innovations]] both by Mary Beard
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