Tim Heald (1944–2016)
Auteur de The Best After-Dinner Stories
A propos de l'auteur
Crédit image: Tim Heald
Séries
Œuvres de Tim Heald
Great Stories of Crime and Detection, Volumes I-IV: Beginnings to the Present (2002) — Directeur de publication — 77 exemplaires
A Classic English Crime: 13 Stories for the Christie Centenary (1990) — Directeur de publication; Contributeur — 77 exemplaires
The Folio Treasury of Shorter Crime Fiction, Volumes I-IV (2006) — Directeur de publication — 36 exemplaires
Man Who Will Be King H R H 1 exemplaire
Oeuvres associées
The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Third Annual Edition (1994) — Contributeur — 10 exemplaires
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Nom légal
- Heald, Timothy Villiers
- Autres noms
- Lancaster, David
- Date de naissance
- 1944-01-28
- Date de décès
- 2016-11-20
- Sexe
- male
- Nationalité
- UK
- Lieu de naissance
- Dorchester, Dorset, England, UK
- Lieux de résidence
- Fowey, Cornwall, England, UK
Somerset, England, UK
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Dorset, England, UK
Tasmania, Australia
South Australia, Australia - Études
- Connaught House, Somerset, England, UK
Sherborne School, Dorset, England, UK
Oxford University (Balliol College) - Professions
- biographer
columnist
journalist
public speaker
novelist - Organisations
- Daily Express
Membres
Critiques
Listes
Prix et récompenses
Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
Auteurs associés
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 55
- Aussi par
- 11
- Membres
- 1,369
- Popularité
- #18,786
- Évaluation
- 3.5
- Critiques
- 13
- ISBN
- 195
- Langues
- 3
It is a fairly simple, straightforward biography of a person who Heald reckons to be a simple, straightforward person. It follows two parallel threads - of Compton's career on the cricket field in parallel with the memories of those who he knew him and those who he inspired and entertained. Both threads are fairly superficial. Heald knew and was close to Compton for many years. His view, that is probably shared by most who knew Compton, either personally or as a cricketer, is that he was an overgrown schoolboy. Heald doesn't try to overanalyze this premise and try to fit his behaviour in all circumstances to this. This is not always satisfactory, as when Compton sided with South African government and pro-apartheid lobby in the several clashes through the 1960s to 1980s. The excuse of naivety is also a little disingenuous because Compton held several important positions including the Presidency of Middlesex CCC for many years.
The remembrances of those who were young when Compton was his best is scattered around the book and are some of the best parts. Many of these people have since died. What they said will provide some explanations for why Compton was as important as he was.
The cricketing side of Compton involves many match descriptions and scores but comes up short. One need lots of prior knowledge and imagination to get enthused even by 1947. Describing Compton satisfactorily is not an easy task and this is not the book to get inspired about Compton's batting.
Considering the personal nature of parts of the book, one will probably learn things that are not found elsewhere. But one interesting what if, that is probably documented by others, involved John Arlott and Compton's fastest triple hundred. While Compton was blazing away in Benoni, Arlott was in (iirc) Bloemfontein. While idling on the streets, he saw a black man walking along, minding his business. A white man who came in the opposite direction, for no reason, kicked the black man into a roadside gutter. The black man climbed up and instead of retaliating, apologised and stuttered along. This incident was Arlott's first encounter with apartheid and profoundly influenced his later actions. Had Arlott watched Compton's triple hundred, it is conceivable that Basil D'Oliveira (the black South African cricketer who Arlott helped to move to England) stayed home and South Africa played Tests well into the 1970s and possibly never expelled.… (plus d'informations)