More Christmas Crackers

Christmas Crackers

by John Julius Norwich

Over the last 20 years, the author of this book had been sending out Christmas crackers - a commonplace selection of prose and poetry - to his friends instead of Christmas cards. What began as a personal choice of literary odds and ends has now become a substantial collection. Assembled here are the crackers from the second decade, featuring subjects as varied as pig-sticking and the Papacy, from contributors as diverse as Nelson and Freya Stark.

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

John Julius Norwich was an English historian, writer, and broadcaster known for his engaging books on European history and culture. The son of diplomat and politician Duff Cooper and socialite Lady Diana Manners, he received an elite education at Eton, Strasbourg, and Oxford, and served in the Foreign Service before dedicating himself to writing full-time.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

More gleanings from the wide-ranging reading and well-connected correspondence of Norwich and his glittering circle, this time a little more ready to run over a page in length, though seldom by much. And when they do, as in Michael Frayn's olive-inspired Shakespeare pastiche ("The Chesters Leicesters and the Leicesters Chesters, Lord Chester, thus, the proof runs clear, is me, and Ursula, Lord Bicester, his own sister"), the extra space is almost always more than justified. Although the exceptions include Clytamenestra's correspondence as 'found' by Maurice Baring, ten pages of sub-Pooter recasting of the Matter of Greece as a middle class family scandal. Such rare clunkers aside, at times the material is simply beautiful, as when quoting Churchill on his plans for the afterlife; elsewhere it's shareable content done old-style (I am of an age also to remember the intervening iterations as fax, floppy disk and email forward). The title notwithstanding, the content is rarely festive, though occasional hints of tinsel do creep in, as when the 1982 Cracker offers a lovely poem reworking the lyrics of the 12 Days Of Christmas.

[^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every bit as good as 1970-1979.

Having said that, I'm not sure that the ENTIRE text of Kipling's "The Mary Gloster", good as it is, isn't just an eensy weensy little bit excessively long to include in either a christmas cracker or a commonplace book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

He brings these editions out most Christmases, selections of poetry and prose related to the season. I've often given them as gifts. Most amusing.