Farewell Flashman
George MacDonald Fraser passes away at 82.
Goodbye Flashman; you dashing, cowardly, misogynistic, randy old imperialist. I’ll miss you.
George MacDonald Fraser passes away at 82.
Goodbye Flashman; you dashing, cowardly, misogynistic, randy old imperialist. I’ll miss you.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
I saw that in the paper, and wondered if I should read his work… and now looking at the cover of the novel…? Er, no. I think I’ll give it a pass. Although it looks completely comical.
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:41 am
Oh you should - at least one. They’re wonderful. Just read them with a sense of humour! Flashman’s one hell of a cad.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
The Flashman books are gloriously non pc and Flashman himself is an utter bounder, a cad, a coward, a liar and a serial adulterer. In short he is everything a Victorian Gentleman should not be and yet somehow he ever emerges covered in glory. He puts me in mind of an anti-James Bond figure. The British Empire warts and all.
On a side note the Flashman books are a treasure trove of historical detail and a joy to read for the history buff. Stridently anti-war in their tone and darkly subversive of the history of the British empire. Flashman is everything you should despise in a fellow, but one one can’t help a sneaking admiration for the old goat.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Fair balls to you gurrier.
The word “genius” is bandied about too much these days, but twas most appropriate when discussing MacDonald Fraser.
I think it was “Flashman and the redskins” which had me braying like a freshly-spayed mule on the bus from Lucan. And I don’t like public displays of emotion. Unless it’s the nitelink and Dolores O’Riordan is in the seat in front.
I didn’t want to read them initially since “Flashman” sounds terrible. All it takes is the first book - I ordered all the rest after that.