Monday 27 June 2016

Max, D.H, Fred

'Poor D.H. Lawrence. He never realised, don't you know - he never suspected that to be stark, staring mad is somewhat of a handicap for a writer.' That's Max Beerbohm (nearly always a sound judge) talking, as quoted in Joseph Epstein's acute and enjoyable little  book on Fred Astaire (Yale, 2008).
 Epstein thinks that Max, as depicted in his early self-portrait cartoons, is the nearest thing to Fred Astaire's 'look' - 'sleek, kempt, elegant'. And also, he might have added, blessed with a notably large head.

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