First Childhood [Paperback]

Lord Berners (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2000

The memoirs of a quintessential eccentric, outrageously funny and beautifully written

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Autobiographical accounts of Victorian childhood tend to fall into one of two camps: life was either golden or it closely resembled something straight out of the Brontë sisters. Gerald Tyrwhitt, a.k.a. the 14th Baron Berners, was an unusual memoirist for his day and age, chiefly because he eschewed both nostalgia and sentimentality, preferring instead to depict his youth in wry, frequently hilarious terms. Berners has been called "the last eccentric," and indeed in his adult life he would have given Auntie Mame a run for her money. Although this book ends with Berners's teetering on the verge of adolescence, it serves as prelude to the life that would follow: already the future baron was enamoured of art and dismal at sport--a situation frowned upon by the fox-hunting, grouse-shooting, cricket-loving upper classes into which he was born. Sent away to school at the age of six, he soon became aware of an even more frowned-upon proclivity: an attraction to other boys. Berners relates the events of his early life with humor and dash; who knew that the life of a prepubescent boy could be so entertaining? --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

In the 1930s, the English composer Lord Berners wrote two memoirs: First Childhood, which covers his earliest memories and his years in prep school, and A Distant Prospect, about his years at Eton. While the former could conceivably be read alone, the second could not, and they should be considered as a whole. Berners had a sharp eye, which manifests in many beautiful descriptions, even of relatively banal subjects like the math master's voice ("the same milk-and-water voice upon which a University twang lay like a thin layer of vinegar"). As one might expect of "the English Satie," Berners also had a sharp wit, which is best when tempered by self-deprecation, as when he describes his attempt to mount a puppet Rhinegold at home only to have his novel steam device dissolve the tails of his Rhine maidens, or when blunted by genuine affection, as in the often hilarious descriptions of his familyAhe describes his aristocratic grandmother as looking like "Savonarola masquerading as Betsy Trotwood." But unmoderated, his critical edge can become simply mean, as in his descriptions of a Jewish schoolmate and a tomboyish neighbor. Aside from his usually appealing humor, these books also serve as an interesting record of a minimally closeted gay man on the much discussed eroticism of English boarding schools and the Victorian determination to breed "manliness" through ardent devotion to sport. As a whole, this is a picture of a time and a class with all of its virtues and failings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Orion Books (February 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 075380946X
• ISBN-13: 978-0753809464
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,519,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Triumph of Berners, August 4, 2003

By 

Ross Amico (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Childhood (Paperback)

I came to Berners' writings by way of his music. "The Triumph of Neptune," a Beecham staple, has long been a favorite of mine, and the ongoing Berners series on the Marco Polo label has been a delight.

Above all else, what one seems to encounter when reading ABOUT Berners are copious anecdotes of his alleged "eccentricity." Having completed both volumes of this delicious memoir, I am tempted to chalk it all up rather to a keenly-developed wit and an extremely cultivated sense of the ridiculous. In fact, Berners in his own words comes across as exceptionally sane, a gifted observer. Time and again, he hits upon just the right detail to establish a knowing sympathy with his reader, skewering the hypocrisies of relatives and professors alike, and deftly conveying all the distant terrors of childhood. At the same time, he casts an almost Proustian glow over his recollections, so that there are moments of aching nostalgia, as we have all experienced at one time or another.

Those curious about his later musical triumphs may find themselves disappointed - there are sporadic anecdotes about his first encounters with the music of Chopin and Wagner, but nothing of those he rubbed shoulders with in his maturity - but "disappointment" is soon compensated for by Berners' wit. The man certainly did know how to craft a sentence, and his prose is studded with erudite (although not too much so) allusions, always to humorous effect. If the book is to be criticized, it is because it is TOO SHORT. I am delighted to find there is actual a third volume, picking up the thread of the second, about his adventures in France. I will be ordering this very soon.

An extremely entertaining memoir. You'll probably be hungering for more, so be sure and move on to "A Distant Prospect."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An overlooked treasure!, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Childhood (Paperback)

Lord Berners remembers childhood more accurately than most memoirists. He doesn't romanticize nor does he dwell on the darker days. He looks back with wry amusement at himself (an only child of a thoughtful and dreamy nature) and his family (relics of another era). Written with a deft light touch and adult insight into the ways of childhood. Don't miss this -- you'll laugh out loud!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lost gem that MUST be read!, June 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: First Childhood (Paperback)

This much talked about but rarely read character from the recent past is proved to be a real artist and talented writer in this lovely book. I dare you not to be enchanted by this wonderfully written and charming tale of a comfortable childhood. It is arch and queeny at times, but so utterly readable that it is sure to be consumed at a single sitting. For anyone with class!