tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post8481729232091898069..comments2023-06-02T14:56:35.057+01:00Comments on The Book Trunk: Talking Trains with John BetjemanChristine Hardinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-12239042738343424642012-07-15T08:33:01.166+01:002012-07-15T08:33:01.166+01:00Nan, Betjeman would cry. I like trains, but the se...Nan, Betjeman would cry. I like trains, but the service leaves a lot to be desired, and when things go wrong - whether it is vandalism or some kind of fault - there never seems to be any contingency plan, and communication with passengers is virtually non-existent.Christine Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-91282661672928726952012-07-13T14:58:49.490+01:002012-07-13T14:58:49.490+01:00Don't change a thing. I so loved this. Heartfe...Don't change a thing. I so loved this. Heartfelt and real. Thank you.<br /><br />It's funny. I'm not much nostalgic about the past in the US, but I ache for the old days in England. I'm always happy when bloggers post pictures or write about the still beautiful English countryside because I have read of all the changes, and I feel such sadness. Just last night in Corduroy Mansions:<br />"Why do we tolerate having the worst train service in Western Europe? And one of the most expensive ones in the whole world?"<br />"Because we privatised the railways. The French and the Germans warned us. They said, 'It's not going to work.' And we ignored them, and look at us now. Dirty trains. Not enough seats. Nowhere to put your luggage."<br /><br />I fear Betjeman would cry.<br /><br />I must get this book.Nanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15547916206007733970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-8098393139556725762012-07-13T07:18:36.865+01:002012-07-13T07:18:36.865+01:00Alex, I never liked him when I was young - he wasn...Alex, I never liked him when I was young - he wasn't my idea of a poet at all! But the older I get, the more I like his poems, and the more I can find in them and relate to. His prose writing is really interesting. It must have been wonderful to see him on film - and to watch Leeds as it was some 40 years ago.Christine Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-25379414807448350082012-07-09T22:38:29.903+01:002012-07-09T22:38:29.903+01:00Ooh hello from another Betjeman fan! I love Betjem...Ooh hello from another Betjeman fan! I love Betjeman for his thoughts on architecture and England but I don't know his poetry anywhere near as well as his essays and scripts. :)<br /><br />I live in Leeds and last year at the Leeds Film Festival they screened a documentary that hadn't been shown since the 1960s about the town, it was so strange to see a hero wandering around streets I know rather than his southern villages and Metroland.Alex in Leedshttp://www.alexinleeds.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-77711537522166695202012-07-04T09:11:29.821+01:002012-07-04T09:11:29.821+01:00Do try it - his voice comes across so clearly in t...Do try it - his voice comes across so clearly in these pieces, and they are pictures of a vanished world.Christine Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-25007524271745735192012-07-03T17:00:52.961+01:002012-07-03T17:00:52.961+01:00I, too, have only read his poetry. One of my favo...I, too, have only read his poetry. One of my favorites is <a href="http://allpoetry.com/poem/8493419-False_Security-by-Sir_John_Betjeman" rel="nofollow">False Security</a>.<br /><br />Now I see that I need to get a copy of Trains and Buttered Toast!jenclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06046532245054911248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-73810755884793007642012-06-28T23:23:15.643+01:002012-06-28T23:23:15.643+01:00Carrie, he was a Poet Laureate, but was very '...Carrie, he was a Poet Laureate, but was very 'British' and may not be that well known elsewhere, and is probably not to modern tastes. He wasn't a ground-breaker, he stuck mainly to traditional poetic forms, with strong rhythms and rhymes. I hated his poems when I was young, but the older I get the more I like them. He looked like a cuddly teddy bear and campaigned to preserve old buildings, churches, railways, the countryside etc. He died in 1984.Christine Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-69343903067742396632012-06-28T18:50:04.642+01:002012-06-28T18:50:04.642+01:00Not only have I not read his work, I've never ...Not only have I not read his work, I've never heard of him! Thanks for bringing Betjeman to my attention - he goes on the to-read list. :) I also fixed your links on the challenge page and will be adding this review to the list.Carrie K.http://booksandmovies.colvilleblogger.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-55572283283174794202012-06-28T18:38:01.540+01:002012-06-28T18:38:01.540+01:00It's the kind of thing you can dip in and out ...It's the kind of thing you can dip in and out of. All the pieces are quite short, a lot of them are about places - seaside towns and tourist spots, and it would be interesting to compare them then and now, and there's a nice essay on wartime reading.Christine Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09814026435889782750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4512516523018627966.post-46188028086352234952012-06-28T17:43:08.900+01:002012-06-28T17:43:08.900+01:00This sounds marvellous - I've only read his po...This sounds marvellous - I've only read his poetry, so I shall definitely have to track (inadvertent train pun!) this one down.bibliolathashttp://bookforgetter.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com