The Moon's a Balloon [antikvár]

EJrfVELYN WAUGH penned these words: "Onlywhen one has lost all curiosity about the future has one reachedthe age to write an autobiography."It is daunting to consider the sudden wave of disillusionmentthat must have swept over such a brilliant man and caused himto write such balls.Nearer the mark, it seems to me, is my friend, Professor JohnKenneth Galbraith of Harvard University, who wrote: "Bookscan be broken broadly into two classes: those written to pleasethe reader and those written for the greater pleasure of thewriter. Subject to numerous and distinguished exceptions, thesecond class is rightly suspect and especially if the writer him-self appears in the story. Doubtless, it is best to have one'svanity served by others; but when all else fails, it is somethingmen do for themselves. Political memoirs, biographies of greatbusiness tycoons and the annals of aging actors sufficiently illus-trate the point." The italics are mine.I apologize for the name-dropping. It was hard to avoid it.People in my profession, who, like myself, have the good fortuneto parlay a minimal talent into a long career, find all sorts ofdoors opened that would otherwise have remained closed. Oncebehind those doors, it makes little sense to write about the but-ler if Chairman Mao is sitting down to dinner.My offering is a period piece. I hope you may enjoy lookingback over my shoulder.David NivenCap-Ferrat A.M.