Category Archives: Mantua

* The quote is from one of my gods: the American-“anglo” crime writer, Raymond Chandler “…the art of urban civilizations tends to be static, solid, and symmetrical. It is disciplined by the representation of the human body and by the … Continue reading →

“Tis all in peeces, all coherence gone;All just supply, and all Relation” Tom’s friend, John Donne & his poem “Anatomy of the World”. “We sail out of the harbour, and the countries and cities recede” Virgil, The Aeneid The idea … Continue reading →

The origin of things is wholly the work of that which imagines, thinks, wills, feels. Friedrich Nietzsche. This morning over coffee a young English “classics” post-graduate who is probably going to start an education course in New York this autumn … Continue reading →

“We spend our days looking for the secret of Life. Well, the secret of Life is Art!” “My first idea was to print only three copies: one for myself, one for the British Museum, and one for Heaven. I had … Continue reading →

At a dinner recently in London I was, again, the only English person present. What were the people there? They were Peruvian, African-Indian, Israeli, Romanian, American and Italian. At one stage the conversation was about “Englishness,” a subject that divides … Continue reading →

“Tycoon: how to turn your Dreams into Millions” is a new book currently being heavily promoted in England it seems. Its author, Peter Jones, is a rich man (I hope) who is now getting richer by fronting reality television about … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago I wrote to one of the people who has made this journey before. I asked the “Peregrine”of Odcombe how his sense of Tom had felt and evolved as he travelled. “I agree with your concerns about … Continue reading →

Salome. There will be more Salome & Wilde, shortly.

A collector phones from somewhere – Asia, actually – saying the money is sent. Ulrich Rückriem sits in his braces and yellow shirt, laughs, and then chats some more. We meet by complete chance in the piazza facing Mantua’s cathedral: … Continue reading →