Book review: Rory Carroll, A Rebel And A Traitor [Roger Casement] (Dimensions, £17.50) History As Creative Story-telling Rory Carroll’s new book is neither a history nor a biography; it has elements of a political thriller or an adventure story but is not that either. This hybrid identity conceals it as a strategic narrative—a carefully … Continue reading History As Creative Story-telling
fiction
The Lost World Of The Putumayo
Review: The Amazon Journal of Roger Casement, edited by Angus Mitchell, Lilliput Press, Dublin, 1997. This book reproduces correspondence written by Roger Casement in 1910, as well as his Putumayo Diary covering the period 23rd September to 6th December 1910. The existence of the 'Putumayo Diary' represents a fatal weakness in the edifice that the … Continue reading The Lost World Of The Putumayo
Basil Thomson And Distant Peoples And Their Languages
Last month I began a brief investigation of Basil Thomson, head of Scotland Yard and Roger Casement’s main interrogator in 1916, and a man who is closely connected with the Diaries. Thomson was anything but a narrow-focussed policeman. He was an agent of the British Empire with years of service in exotic South Seas … Continue reading Basil Thomson And Distant Peoples And Their Languages
Casement: Dr. Audrey Giles’ Report
(Followed by Brian Inglis's Three Diaries Trick! ) The report of Audrey Giles on the Black Diaries was completed with much fanfare in 2002. It was claimed that the question of the authenticity of the Diaries was now closed. Giles is a Doctor of Philosophy. At the time of the Report she had twenty-five years … Continue reading Casement: Dr. Audrey Giles’ Report
Casement: Character Assassination—By An Expert!
Review Roger Casement by Brian Inglis, Penguin Books, 2002, first published 1973. It is widely believed that Brian Inglis’s biography of Roger Casement is the standard biography from which other biographies take their cue. Although Inglis did not receive cooperation from the Casement family, the book could also be described as an “authorised” biography. … Continue reading Casement: Character Assassination—By An Expert!
Casement And Emotion
(Some Thoughts On Broken Archangel by Roland Philipps) Reading the latest biography of Roger Casement by Roland Philipps, a few things struck me that may be of some interest. I don’t think Philipps’s work is particularly original. It seems to be largely an elaborate development of ideas thrown out sketchily by Jeffrey Dudgeon in his large edition … Continue reading Casement And Emotion
The Black Diaries’ Fantasy
John Martin In considering the Black Diaries it can be useful to step back before delving into the details. The first question that arises from even a cursory knowledge is why would Casement write the incriminating diaries in the first place? As a public figure, why would he want to run the risk of the diaries … Continue reading The Black Diaries’ Fantasy
Irish Political Review 