Sunday, December 31, 2006

Richard Boston

Jeremy Bugler writes a lengthy tribute to Richard Boston in The Independent:

"His first job revealed that Boston's life was not to be conventional - he joined the staff of Peace News and quickly had an MI5 file devoted to him.

He then became books editor of New Society and irritated the management by exposing the different pay rates among the staff. He pinned to the office notice board details of his wages, inviting other staff members to do the same."

Writing of Boston's first book Bugler tells this anecdote:
"The Admirable Urquhart (1975), was of the translator of Rabelais, Sir Thomas Urquhart, to whom he may have been attracted when he became aware that Urquhart died of uncontrollable laughter on hearing of the Restoration of Charles II. Boston used to like to quote Rabelais: 'One inch of joy surmounts of grief a span;/Because to laugh is proper to the man.'"

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2112584.ece