Diaries [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

Alan Clark (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1993

Alan Clark, historian and politician, has been a long-time diarist, recording his life socially and politically over many years. This volume covers the period from the death of his father, Lord (Kenneth) Clark, to the moment when he became subject to the Privy Council oath in February of 1991. Thus the diaries cover two full Parliaments serving under Margaret Thatcher until her ousting in a coup (which Clark observed closely from the inside) and then under John Major. Cabinet colleagues, royalty, ambassadors, civil servants and foreign dignitaries all have their conceits illuminated. And a succession of pretty girls cross the stage, and the delights and pain which they cause the author are recorded. Clark notes what he observes, what he hears, what he believes and he admits his own ambitions and foibles. Alan Clark was MP for Plymouth (Sutton) 1974-1992.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alan Clark, educated at Eton and Oxford, read for the Bar but did not practise. Tory MP for Plymouth Sutton 1972-1992; Kensington and Chelsea, 1997-99. Various junior ministerial appointments in the Margaret Thatcher and John Major governments of the 1980s. Best-known for his Diaries (three vols) which The Times placed in the Samuel Pepys class. They were filmed by teh BBC with John Hurt as Clark and Jenny Agutter as Jane Clark. Alan Clark died in 1999.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd; illustrated edition edition (June 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0297813528
• ISBN-13: 978-0297813521
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,710,317 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biting and hilarious, August 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Diaries (Hardcover)

Alan Clark comes across as a bastard, but a stylish one at that. There is none of the self-serving drivel that even the best autobiographies normally serve up. Instead, you get raw, mostly unedited thoughts straight from the mind of the author. Of course only an English aristocrat would have the nerve to have diaries of such a nature published and not give a damn about what others think. Therein lies the charm of this enormously entertaining book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vivid, funny and disturbing stories of politics in the UK, November 26, 1998

By 

Sandy Needham [e-mail] (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diaries (Hardcover)

This is funnier than "Yes Minister" and is a memoir of a real minister. Very incisive comments by Clark, critical of many, praising others. Makes a cabinet minister of pedigree and lineage look like a real person, showing the great difficulty of an elected official in changing the course of the "ship of state". It really appears that this is a private memoir now made public - seems totally fresh and honest. A very good read.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A frank account of life in the fast lane., October 7, 1999

By 

Mark Cannon (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diaries (Hardcover)

Alan Clark was only a moderately successful politician, but he ranks with Harold Nicolson as one of the best British political diarists this century. Clark was a wealthy (but not aristocratic) Tory MP under Margaret Thatcher (whose ankles he praises) rising to Minsister of State for Defence Procurement frustatingly short of the Cabinet. His diaries record his hopes, fears, lusts, successes and failures (including memorably the occasion when he addressed Parliament when drunk). His account of Thatcher's fall is gripping. You need a good grasp of British politics in the 80's to understand all the nuances, but anyone can enjoy this candid record. Sadly his recent death may deprive us of volume 2.