"The Thomas Hardy Theme Park for slow learners called Poundbury"

[Berni]

God, I love Jonathan Meades.

[Camp Freddie]

[One Wilf Copping]

Meades always could turn a phrase. Cheap shorthand though to link Thomas Hardy's name to the phrase. Arguably England's greatest novelist of the nineteenth century and poet of the twentieth century AND a prize-winning architectural student in his youth deserves better. Why connect his name with Charles' absurd fancy?

I read last year that authorities were fighting Charles' plan to build another 1,000+ homes in Poundbury as the extra sewage waste generated and flowing into the River Frome would damage the local environment.

The Poundbury plans it seems were, quite literally, full of ****...

:rubchin:

Anyway, Meades is great, Hardy should be left out of it, and I'd have loved JG Ballard to have written a novel dismantling the idiocy of Poundbury. Ballard who of course rejected a knighthood.

[Classic Jorge]

I thought his recent one about France was fantastic

[Classic Jorge]

Agreed on Ballard

[One Wilf Copping]

Thierry Ennui wrote on Tue, 29 January 2013 23:35



Agreed on Ballard





Ballard was astonishing - a singular voice.

I had the wonderful experience once of sitting down on a flight to Madrid with a copy of Cocaine Nights in my hand and a stunning Spanish girl sat down next to me with... a copy of Cocaine Nights in her hand.

Things developed from there ... and the weekend was capped by Arsenal, ahem France, winning the World Cup Final against Brazil. Watching the game in a crowded bar in Madrid of all places with everyone cheering for Brazil apart from me and my fellow Ballard admirer... Perfect.

[Alexism - Atheoist]

I'd wave but I'm too cool for that.