Today is the seventy-fifth anniversary of George Orwell's death. You might wish to observe the occasion with my serialisation of Nineteen Eighty-Four - which can be heard here. Its combination of state violence and official lies seems more relevant to Keir Starmer's Britain than it should be.
Meanwhile, welcome to Part Six of our nightly audio entertainment - Lord of the World, Robert Hugh Benson's vision of the early twenty-first century as seen from 1907.
Joe Cressotti, a First Week Founding Member of The Mark Steyn Club, enjoyed a central element of last night's episode:
Thanks so much for reading this novel, Mark. I'm loving it. Your reading of Fr. Percy's experience in prayer was wonderful. It expressed things I don't remember capturing when I read this novel a number of years ago.
I have to say I was puzzled at first with your choice of voice for Fr. Percy, but it has been growing on me. Can't wait to continue listening to this!
That particular passage, Joe, is a gift. It's one of the best attempts in literature to conjure the experience of prayer for a professional - as opposed to a child kneeling at his bedside or whatever. I hope I did it justice.
In tonight's episode of Lord of the World, Father Percy's cardinal wants to know more about the mysterious American Felsenburgh:
"What of Masonry? Felsenburgh is said to be one. Gather all the gossip you can about him. Send any English or American biographies of him. Are you still losing Catholics through Masonry?"
He ran his eyes down the rest of the questions. They chiefly referred to previous remarks of his own, but twice, even in them, Felsenburgh's name appeared.
He laid the paper down and considered a little.
It was very curious, he thought, how this man's name was in every one's mouth, in spite of the fact that so little was known about him. He had bought in the streets, out of curiosity, three photographs that professed to represent this strange person, and though one of them might be genuine they all three could not be. He drew them out of a pigeon-hole, and spread them before him.
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear Part Six of our tale simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier installments can be found here.
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