What do you think?
Rate this book
The Puppet Show of Memory
Baring (1874-1945) was an English man of letters, known as a dramatist, poet, novelist, translator and essayist, and also a travel writer and war correspondent. During WWI he served in the Intelligence Corps and Royal Air Force and was appointed an Officer in the Order of the British Empire in the 1918 Birthday Honours. He came from a privileged background and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, later travelling widely, particularly in Russia, and reported as an eye-witness of the Russo-Japanese War for the London Morning Post. After WWI he enjoyed a period of success as a dramatist and began to write novels, becoming widely known socially in literary circles. He was staunch in his anti-intellectualism in respect of the arts and was an inveterate practical joker. Previously an agnostic, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1909. This autobiographical work was first published in 1922.
- GenresAutobiography
348 pages, Paperback
Published July 18, 2018
4 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Maurice Baring
156 books33 followersMaurice Baring OBE (27 April 1874 – 14 December 1945) was an English man of letters, known as a dramatist, poet, novelist, translator and essayist, and also as a travel writer and war correspondent, with particular knowledge of Russia. During World War I, Baring served in the Intelligence Corps and Royal Air Force.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2015
This is a perfect book. But it is the exception to the rule ‘what is written without effort is read without pleasure’. It seems to have been written with very little effort. Some people find it an insufferable collection of clichés, but they are wrong. Maurice Baring is a truly lovable man, with an amazing capacity for seeing the beauty of things. What would be cliché in someone else is deeply felt in him. Also it is an indirect argument against the nihilism of the period following WWI...
October 26, 2022
Autobiografía de Maurice Baring, lo primero que he de decir es que, en el primer tomo de las obras completas del autor publicadas por Janés, el libro acaba bruscamente en el capítulo XII ("Roma"). He consultado la obra en inglés, y efectivamente faltan otros doce capítulos, pero no he encontrado las razones de esta ausencia. Por tanto, mi reseña adolece necesariamente de esta limitación.
Dicho esto, los recuerdos de Baring están escritos con una ausencia de melancolía poco habitual en quien recuerda su infancia y juventud. Su mundo es muy diferente del nuestro, y en este sentido, me resulta posible pensar que este libro pueda resultar aburrido a alguien. No es, sin embargo, mi caso. Al contrario, he leído con agrado la descripción de la infancia, los estudios en Eton y en el Trinity, las estancias en Alemania y los primeros pasos del autor en la carrera diplomática. Los acontecimientos históricos y la política se hacen cada vez más relevantes tras la entrada del protagonista en el Foreign Office. El latín, la poesía, el teatro y la música desfilan por las páginas junto con siempre amables descripciones de los personajes y personalidades con las que el autor interactúa. Baring tiene la capacidad de mostrar el lado positivo del ser humano, y de reconocer con agradecimiento la ayuda que va recibiendo en su camino.
Una pena que la edición de Janés se detenga antes de la Gran Guerra, en la que Baring fue corresponsal. No sé tampoco si en los capítulos que faltan se registra su conversión al catolicismo y su amistad con Chesterton y Belloc. Quizás en alguna edición por separado pueda encontrarse la mitad que falta.
Dicho esto, los recuerdos de Baring están escritos con una ausencia de melancolía poco habitual en quien recuerda su infancia y juventud. Su mundo es muy diferente del nuestro, y en este sentido, me resulta posible pensar que este libro pueda resultar aburrido a alguien. No es, sin embargo, mi caso. Al contrario, he leído con agrado la descripción de la infancia, los estudios en Eton y en el Trinity, las estancias en Alemania y los primeros pasos del autor en la carrera diplomática. Los acontecimientos históricos y la política se hacen cada vez más relevantes tras la entrada del protagonista en el Foreign Office. El latín, la poesía, el teatro y la música desfilan por las páginas junto con siempre amables descripciones de los personajes y personalidades con las que el autor interactúa. Baring tiene la capacidad de mostrar el lado positivo del ser humano, y de reconocer con agradecimiento la ayuda que va recibiendo en su camino.
Una pena que la edición de Janés se detenga antes de la Gran Guerra, en la que Baring fue corresponsal. No sé tampoco si en los capítulos que faltan se registra su conversión al catolicismo y su amistad con Chesterton y Belloc. Quizás en alguna edición por separado pueda encontrarse la mitad que falta.
July 22, 2024
A man born in the 1880's tells (eloquently) the story of his life. He grew up in relatively posh surroundings but struggled in the school system of Great Britain the late 1800's and onward. From there he flourished by demonstrating his hitherto unknown talent for writing among other talents
and positive traits.
I was particularly impressed with how neatly and tellingly the author was able to work in the idea of a puppet show's being associated with the memory. I noticed "puppet shows" came up several times in his memoirs.
Another interesting footnote on Baring came about as I passed the middle of the book. Being a keen student of the behaviors of his fellow man, as well as a "man of letters" Baring had the honor of being chosen to be, perhaps one of the first of on-the-site- field reporters for war. In his case he covered the invasion of Russia by the Japanese. A key date was February 8, 1904. Baring's descriptions of the deprivations and sufferings of the Russian soldiers were almost too much to bear and so I was compelled to skip over many of the details. Nevertheless this book is highly recommended and a rare find, not having been lauded as it should have been.
and positive traits.
I was particularly impressed with how neatly and tellingly the author was able to work in the idea of a puppet show's being associated with the memory. I noticed "puppet shows" came up several times in his memoirs.
Another interesting footnote on Baring came about as I passed the middle of the book. Being a keen student of the behaviors of his fellow man, as well as a "man of letters" Baring had the honor of being chosen to be, perhaps one of the first of on-the-site- field reporters for war. In his case he covered the invasion of Russia by the Japanese. A key date was February 8, 1904. Baring's descriptions of the deprivations and sufferings of the Russian soldiers were almost too much to bear and so I was compelled to skip over many of the details. Nevertheless this book is highly recommended and a rare find, not having been lauded as it should have been.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews