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>
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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>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
scream blue murder:
(idiomatic) To protest loudly or angrily.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scream_blue_murder>
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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>