Wednesday, October 05, 2016

"Jeffrey Bernard Was Unwell, and Wonderful."


Twice previously, I've written about Jeffrey Bernard.

Jeffrey Bernard was unwell, but I'm feeling fine, thank you.

Got a Drinking Problem? "Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell."

The third time's bound to be the charm. For those doubting the ability of a reformed alcoholic to write sympathetically about another who never did, Bosley's account is a corrective. Whether there is glamour in drinking oneself to death can be decided by the reader. There was a time when it appealed to me. Now, not very much.


Jeffrey Bernard Was Unwell, and Wonderful, by Deborah Bosley (The Fix)

... His other regular watering hole and second home, The Coach and Horses, was around the corner from the Groucho on Greek Street, and had become something of a destination as people came along hoping to catch a glimpse of the legendary writer and drinker. Jeff had made a career and built his considerable notoriety around a life of excess but he wasn't just some drunk who made people laugh; he wrote with elegance and insight, was a cultured man with considerable knowledge of music and naval history, particularly his hero, Lord Nelson. He was complex and contradictory and though drinking often made him foul-tempered, he was capable of great charm.

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