Types and Shadows: Diaries 2004-2015

Description

'Roy Strong's diaries are a treasure . . . magnificently readable' THE TIMES 'Essential reading' TATLER 'When it comes to viperish high-society gossip, Roy Strong is in a class of his own' DAILY MAIL In January 2004, where his third volume of Diaries begins, Roy Strong was in a state of deep grief following the death of his wife, Julia Trevelyan Oman, three months earlier. Yet the following years demonstrate his determination, energy and creativity. New ideas for books are brought to fruition, regular forays into the worlds of TV and radio are made, concluding with the Sir Portrait exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery and news of his forthcoming appointment as a Companion of Honour for services to the nation's culture. Encounters with churchmen, politicians, royalty - and friends old and new - are all described with a telling eye for detail and delicious wit. While there is frustration at the changing world around him, Types and Shadows is a hugely informative and entertaining record of a uniquely full and colourful life.

Sir Roy Strong CH, historian, diarist and gardener, was Director of the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum. His previous two volumes of his diaries: SPLENDOURS AND MISERIES and SCENES AND APPARITIONS brilliantly cover the years 1967-2003. His acclaimed THE STORY OF BRITAIN was updated and reissued in 2018.

Society darling Roy Strong's intimate accounts of the rich and famous are as mischievous as ever - but with added poignancy following his wife's death * Mail Online * The third volume of Sir Roy Strong's infamous diaries makes for essential reading * Tatler * Roy Strong's towering egotism is really rather engaging . . . Dr Sir Roy Strong CH is a unique, admirable and enduring invention * Spectator * Surely one of the most astute and perceptive chroniclers of our age * CHOICE *