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A Garden of Peace: A Medley In Quietude
A Garden of Peace
186 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2008
About the author
Frank Frankfort Moore
121 books2 followersFrank Frankfort Moore (1855–1931) was an Irish journalist, novelist, dramatist, and poet. He was a Belfast Protestant and a unionist, but his historical fiction during the years of Home Rule agitation did not shy from themes of Irish-Catholic dispossession.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 5, 2018
The rambling thoughts of a wry wit from his walled garden behind Castlegate House in Yardley Parva (actually Lewes, Sussex), laid out in the simple Dutch style with a view of the old Barbican and ruins of a Norman castle.
The accompanying photographs show why Frankfort Moore had every reason to be proud of his garden. The playwright and novelist doesn't claim to know anything about gardening, or even enjoy it. Statues, trellises and pergolas are more his thing, all very well if you have a garden big enough.
He comes across as an amiable sort of chap. He readily admits to having doubted Darwin at first, and pegging the Kaiser for a 'master of bluff' all the way up to the outbreak of WWI. His garden is primarily a backdrop for cultured conversations with his atheist neighbour, anecdotes from his life in the theatre, and gentle criticisms aimed towards contemporary art, such as modernist poetry and the cinema.
If this all makes him sound like an old fogey then that's a fair assessment, but a charming one all the same.
The accompanying photographs show why Frankfort Moore had every reason to be proud of his garden. The playwright and novelist doesn't claim to know anything about gardening, or even enjoy it. Statues, trellises and pergolas are more his thing, all very well if you have a garden big enough.
He comes across as an amiable sort of chap. He readily admits to having doubted Darwin at first, and pegging the Kaiser for a 'master of bluff' all the way up to the outbreak of WWI. His garden is primarily a backdrop for cultured conversations with his atheist neighbour, anecdotes from his life in the theatre, and gentle criticisms aimed towards contemporary art, such as modernist poetry and the cinema.
If this all makes him sound like an old fogey then that's a fair assessment, but a charming one all the same.
April 19, 2017
My favourite quote, paraphrasing Genesis 2:8, and also used in Sid Meier's Civilization V for the Hanging Gardens wonder:
I admit that I discovered this book because of the quote in Civilization V. It felt like I was reading one of Dirk Bogarde's novels, where numerous characters appear at his house, providing amusement, and often derision, by the author who attacks all and sundry in the first person narrative of a segment of his life. Moore's work is a must for all who are considering designing and making a garden. Set against the background of the Great War (although this setting is only revealed by its publication date and the conclusion), Moore covers a good deal of literary, architectural, historical, theatrical, and cultural ground, and there is a rich tapestry of people, places, events, books, plays and so on to mine for more interesting discoveries. This particular book was printed from a scanned copy of the text only and does not include the original photographs, which can be found online at archive.org. It would appear that the garden actually existed, as described. This is a remarkable book and it is one of my favourites. Why such literary gems slip from our collective memory is a wonder, and it is nothing less than wonderful to rediscover these buried in the crevices of history.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God, it would be in a garden at the cool of the day," said Mrs Friswell, gently.
I admit that I discovered this book because of the quote in Civilization V. It felt like I was reading one of Dirk Bogarde's novels, where numerous characters appear at his house, providing amusement, and often derision, by the author who attacks all and sundry in the first person narrative of a segment of his life. Moore's work is a must for all who are considering designing and making a garden. Set against the background of the Great War (although this setting is only revealed by its publication date and the conclusion), Moore covers a good deal of literary, architectural, historical, theatrical, and cultural ground, and there is a rich tapestry of people, places, events, books, plays and so on to mine for more interesting discoveries. This particular book was printed from a scanned copy of the text only and does not include the original photographs, which can be found online at archive.org. It would appear that the garden actually existed, as described. This is a remarkable book and it is one of my favourites. Why such literary gems slip from our collective memory is a wonder, and it is nothing less than wonderful to rediscover these buried in the crevices of history.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews