Beschreibung
The Best We Can Do: An Account of the Trial of John Bodkin Adams; by Sybille Bedford; Collins, St. James Place, London, 1958. From the blurb This is the story of the trial of one man, John Bodkin Adams. Ut is a meticulously exact account, by Sybille Bedford author of A Legacy, yet so subtly presented that it becomes, as all trials become for those who have the eye, to see, the mind to know, and the heart to feel, a drama. It has its beginning, its middle and its end; it changes pace and tone; different voices are heard stating and contradicting. The actors in this drama are real people, their stage was the Old Bailey, the most famous criminal court in the world. This trial for murder lasted longer than any before heard at the Old Bailey. It seems an impossible case; no one could prove anything, no one could disprove anything. But what emerges in Sybille Bedford s brilliant and skilful writing is the care of the Law, the patience and the unexcited, iron determination that if man can do justice, it will be done here. In fact, reading this book, we see the Law in a grain of sand; through one beautifully told, tense trial we understand the great boon which English Common Law has given us; that a man is innocent until he is proven guilty. This singe concept is the rock on which our human freedom stands. Sybille Bedford, OBE (1911 2006) was a German-born English writer of non-fiction and semi-autobiographical fiction books. She was a recipient of the Golden PEN Award. In the early 1920s, Sybille often travelled between England and Italy. With the rise of fascism in Italy, though, her mother and stepfather settled in Sanary-sur-Mer, a small coastal fishing village in Provence in the south of France, near Toulon and Marseille. Sybille herself settled there as a teenager, living near Aldous Huxley, with whom she became friends. With assistance from Aldous and Maria Huxley, Bedford left France for America in advance of the German invasion of 1940. She followed the Huxleys to California and spent the rest of World War II in the United States. After the war, Bedford spent a year travelling in Mexico. Her experiences on that trip would form the basis of her first published book, a travelogue entitled The Sudden View: a Mexican Journey, which was published in 1953. A Legacy, Bedford's second book and first novel, was published in 1956 and successfully televised by the BBC in 1975. It was described by Francis King as "one of the great books of the 20th century". Evelyn Waugh wrote in a letter to Nancy Mitford, "I wondered who this brilliant 'Mrs Bedford' could be. This book was her third. Later she wrote the standard, authorized biography of Aldous Huxley. This book, 254 pages is in near-fine condition, the only flaw is a slight darkening of the edges of the text block. It is in a good dust jacket that is now in a protective mylar wrap. A very collectible copy of a very scarce book. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 2387
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