The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold is a novel by the British writer Evelyn Waugh (pictured), his next-to-last full-length work of fiction, first published in July 1957. He called it his "mad book"—a largely autobiographical account concerning the early months of 1954 when he was hallucinating as a result of his addictions. In search of a peaceful environment in which he could resume writing, he had embarked on a sea voyage, but was driven to the point of madness by imagined voices. These experiences are mirrored in the novel: Pinfold, as an antidote to his weariness and chronic insomnia, is dosing himself with a mixture of barbiturates and alcohol, and hearing voices that insult, taunt and threaten him. He is advised that the voices are imaginary, but Pinfold ascribes his rapid cure to a private victory over the forces of evil, not to the cessation of his drug habit. General critical reception to the book was muted; some reviewers admired the opening self-portrait of Waugh, but generally not the ending. The book has been dramatised for radio and as a stage play.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ordeal_of_Gilbert_Pinfold
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1499:
Perkin Warbeck, a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII, was hanged after allegedly attempting to escape from the Tower of London. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Warbeck
1733:
African slaves from Akwamu in the Danish West Indies revolted against their owners, one of the earliest and longest slave revolts in the Americas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1733_slave_insurrection_on_St._John
1934:
An Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission in the Ogaden encountered a garrison of Somalis in Italian service at Walwal, which led to the Abyssinia Crisis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinia_Crisis
1980:
An earthquake struck the Irpinia region of Italy, killing 2,914 people, injuring more than 10,000 and leaving 300,000 homeless. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_Irpinia_earthquake
1996:
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was hijacked, then crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125 of the 175 people on board. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Airlines_Flight_961
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
scream blue murder: (idiomatic) To protest loudly or angrily. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scream_blue_murder
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
A stupid person can make only certain, limited types of errors; the mistakes open to a clever fellow are far broader. But to the one who knows how smart he is compared to everyone else, the possibilities for true idiocy are boundless. --Steven Brust https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steven_Brust