As you might expect, Claire Tomalin's Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self (2002) is a biography of renowned 17th century British diarist, Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). While Pepys' diary only covers the years 1660 to 1669, Tomalin's biography covers his whole life along with historical context. And a very turbulent era it was, with the government turning like a weathervane and a virtual police state no matter who was in charge. Pepys is an interesting character -- definitely a man with a lot of drive, rising from a common tailor's son to positions of power (and down and up and down again, with successive turns of the government). He comes across here and in his warts-and-all diary as a clever and open-minded fellow, though also a rather horrible person at times, especially in his treatment of women -- though it's hard to say for sure what the norm was at the time. Tomalin's prose is crisp and clear, not especially spellbinding, but not stuffy either. She quotes surprisingly little from the diary itself, leaving it for you to read on your own. The only accurate transcription of the diary is the recent Latham and Matthews edition. Though an earlier version, with curious errors and Victorian censorship can be found for free online. Or as a daily feed via the blog version.
Posted by M.Ace at 03:57 PM, July 27, 2004.