Event Information
MISTER BLAIR AND MISTER COMMON: a talk by Dr Keith Armstrong on the friendship between Newcastle working class writer Jack Common and George Orwell
Saturday 22 September 2012
7:30 pm
Jack Common (1903-68) was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and wrote two novels about his working class childhood there - Kiddar's Luck and The Ampersand. He moved to London and worked on The Adelphi literary magazine through which he met Orwell in 1930. They became good friends and Common looked after Orwell's cottage, including his goats, when Orwell was abroad in 1938-9. Common was also a significant essayist and wrote a piece in the late fifties 'Orwell at Wallington' reflecting on the meetings betwen the two writers. Many of the letters from Orwell to Common appear in the collected correspondence.
Keith Armstrong, also from Newcastle, received a doctorate at the University of Durham in 1997 for his studies on Common, including his association with Orwell, and he will be joined for this talk by Common's son Peter (currently living in Warrington, Cheshire) who lived with his parents at Wallington for a short time. Extracts from the correspondence and Common's essay will be rendered as part of the talk.
Book For This Event
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Wednesday 26 June 2013 - 7:30
Michael Simkins talks about and signs his new book, The Rules of Acting During Independent Booksellers Week
Tuesday 02 July 2013 - 7:00 pm
Lord Douglas Hurd talks about and signs his new book, Disraeli or The Two Lives With Afternoon Tea at Letchworth Golf Club
Wednesday 17 July 2013 - 3:00 pm
Colin Babb talks about and signs his new book, They Gave The Crowd Plenty Fun: West Indian Cricket and its Relationship with the British-Resident Caribbean Diaspora
Wednesday 24 July 2013 - 7:30 pm
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Saturday 15 June 2013 - 11 am until 1 pm
Junction - A First Anthology from Poetry ID
Thursday 13 June 2013 - 7:30 pm
Martin Gurdon signs his new book, Doing Bird, A Chicken Keeper’s Year
Saturday 11 May 2013 - 11 am
Wolf People LIVE in-store
Saturday 04 May 2013 - 7pm
Helping Your Child to Read With author Kaye Umansky and Jane Walker of Barrington Stoke
Thursday 02 May 2013 - 7:30 pm
David’s Bookshop Celebrates its 50th Anniversary with a Debate on Progress over the Last 50 Years and a Party
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David's Bookshops are located in Eastcheap, Letchworth Garden City, only a few minutes’ walk from the railway station in the heart of the Town Centre. There is ample parking nearby.
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Sunday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 6pm
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