De Britse schrijver Evelyn Waugh werd geboren in Londen op 28 oktober 1903. Zie ook alle tags voor Evelyn Waugh op dit blog.
Uit: Brideshead Revisited
“We drove round the front into a side court–“Everything’s shut up. We’d better go in this way”–and entered through the fortress-like, stone-flagged, stone-vaulted passages of the servants’ quarters–“I want you to meet Nanny Hawkins. That’s what we’ve come for”–and climbed uncarpeted, scrubbed elm stairs, followed more passages of wide boards covered in the centre by a thin strip of drugget, through passages covered by linoleum, passing the wells of many minor staircases and many rows of crimson and gold fire buckets, up a final staircase, gated at the head, where at last we reached the nurseries, high in the dome in the centre of the main block.
Sebastian’s Nanny was seated at the open window; the fountain lay before her, the lakes, the temple, and, far away on the last spur, a glittering obelisk; her hands lay open in her lap and, loosely between them, a rosary; she was fast asleep. Long hours of work in her youth, authority in middle life, repose and security in her age, had set their stamp on her lined and serene face.
“Well,” she said, waking; “this is a surprise.”
Sebastian kissed her.
“Who’s this?” she said, looking at me. “I don’t think I know him.”
Sebastian introduced us.
“You’ve come just the right time. Julia’s here for the day. She was up with me nearly all the morning telling me about London. Such a time they’re all having. It’s dull without them. Just Mrs. Chandler and two of the girls and old Bert. And then they’re all going on holidays and the boiler’s being done out in August and you going to see his Lordship in Italy, and the rest on visits, it’ll be October before we’re settled down again. Still, I suppose Julia must have her enjoyment the same as other young ladies, though what they always want to go to London for in the best of the summer and the gardens all out, I never have understood. Father Phipps was here on Thursday and I said exactly the same to him,” she added as though she had thus acquired sacerdotal authority for her opinion.
“D’you say Julia’s here?”
“Yes, dear, you must have just missed her. It’s the Conservative Women. Her Ladyship was to have done them, but she’s poorly. Julia won’t be long; she’s leaving immediately after her speech, before the tea.”
“I’m afraid we may miss her again.”
“Don’t do that, dear, it’ll be such a surprise to her seeing you, though she ought to wait for the tea, I told her, it’s what the Conservative Women come for. Now what’s the news? Are you studying hard at your books?”
“Not very, I’m afraid, Nanny.”
De Hongaarse dichter en schrijver István Kemény werd geboren op 28 oktober 1961 in Boedapest. Zie ook alle tags voor István Kemény op dit blog.
Kunststof
Ineens was de kunststof er.
Hoewel niemand die uitgevonden had.
Tenminste honderd Duitse
wetenschappers met gekamde
Baarden hadden het uitgevonden of helemaal niemand,
Kunststof had geen ouders.
Het groeide in tehuizen op.
Niemand die het ooit echt liefhad.
Het was slecht, lichtgebouwd en het stonk
Als het brandde. We gebruikten het als boodschappentas.
Als luchtballon, als bijna alles.
Maar wij verdedigden het niet
Als iemand erop schold
Uit wraak is het nooit van huis weggelopen
Het grijnsde naar ons vanuit de doornstruiken.
En hielden wij het in de schemering voor doodshoofden
Dan bracht het schande over de dood.
Bij gelegenheid… maar die gelegenheid
Deed zich nooit echt voor. Nooit.
Vertaald door Mischa Andriessen
Zie voor nog meer schrijvers van de 28e oktober ook mijn blog van 28 oktober 2018 deel 2 en eveneens deel 3.