Το διαμάντι των Ιωαννίνων: Αλή Πασάς, 1741-1822

by William Plomer

Book by Plomer, William

Genres: Biography

317 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

William Charles Franklyn Plomer CBE (he pronounced the surname as ploomer) was a South African and British author, known as a novelist, poet and literary editor. He was educated mostly in the United Kingdom, but described himself as an "Anglo-African-Asian".

He became famous in the Union of South Africa with his first novel, Turbott Wolfe, which had inter-racial love and marriage as a theme. He was co-founder of the short-lived literary magazine Voorslag ("Whiplash") with two other South African rebels, Roy Campbell and Laurens van der Post; it promoted a racially equal South Africa.

He spent the period from October 1926 to March 1929 in Japan, where he was friendly with Sherard Vines. There, according to biographers, he was in a same-sex relationship with a Japanese man. He was never openly gay during his lifetime; at most he alluded to the subject.

He then moved to England, and through his friendship with his publisher Virginia Woolf, entered the London literary circles. He became a literary editor, for Faber and Faber, and was a reader and literary adviser to Jonathan Cape, where he edited a number of Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Fleming dedicated Goldfinger to Plomer. He was active as a librettist, with Gloriana, Curlew River, The Burning Fiery Furnace and The Prodigal Son for Benjamin Britten.

Reviews

[Evi Routoula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Όλα όσα θα θέλατε να ξέρετε για τον Αλή Πασά στα Ιωάννινα. Αρκετά ιστορικά στοιχεία, άγνωστα κάποια από αυτά στους πολλούς, γραμμένα αρκετά αντικειμενικά από τον Άγγλο Ουίλλιαμ Πλόμερ. Η μετάφραση έχει αρκετά συντακτικά λάθη δυστυχώς, παραβλέπονται με την ροή της ιστορίας έως έναν βαθμό αλλά σε κάνει να αναρωτιέσαι γιατί δεν έγινε μια επιμέλεια.

[Vassilis Xanthakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Βασίζεται σε μαρτυρίες της εποχής και κατά κύριο λόγο ξένους επισκέπτες στην αυλή του Αλή Πασά. Η περιγραφή γίνεται με ένα ουδέτερο τρόπο και κάποια κεφάλαια ήταν μάλλον βαρετά και τα προσπέρασα. Σε γενικές γραμμές ωστόσο πήρα τις πληροφορίες που θα ήθελα από το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο και θεωρώ πως αξίζει να διαβαστεί.

[Vassilis · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published 1936. Original title "Ali the Lion"

[Emmanouil Angelakis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is ok. Loads of info. Difficult to check credibility.