England Their England (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781781550007)

England, Their England is an affectionately satirical inter-war comic novel first published in 1933. It hit the right spot at the time and became a bestseller, and has endured as a classic of humor, transcending the passage of time. It is particularly famed for its portrayal of a village cricket match. The plot -- if there can be said to be a plot -- is set in 1920s England, the book is written as if a travel memoir by a young Scotsman who had been invalided away from the Western Front, "Donald Cameron", whose father's will forces him to reside in England. There he writes for a series of London newspapers, before being commissioned by a Welshman to write a book about the English from the view of a foreigner. Taking to the country and provincial cities, Donald spends his time doing research for a book on the English by consorting with journalists and minor poets, attending a country house weekend, serving as private secretary to a Member of Parliament, attending the League of Nations, and playing village cricket. The village cricket match is the most celebrated episode in the novel, and a reason cited for its enduring appeal. An important character is Mr Hodge; a caricature of Sir John Squire (poet and editor of the London Mercury) while the cricket team described in the book's most famous chapter is a representation of Sir John's Cricket Club -- the Invalids -- which survives today. The book ends in the ancient city of Winchester, where MacDonnell had gone to school.

Author: A. G. Macdonell
ISBN-10: 178155000X
ISBN-13: 9781781550007
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Language: English
Published: 08/19/2014
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.61lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.14w x 0.43d