“Being a member of the Royal Family is a purely gestural role whose only power is how well that gesture is made. Much of what Royals do for their considerable perks is either desperately dull or supremely depressing. For most people, it would be like thinking of the worst aspects of your job and only doing the bits that bore you the most—sucking up to clients, say, or attending soul-destroying sales dinners—with no prospect, ever, of retirement.”
Tina Brown, The Diana Chronicles
Tina Brown, The Diana Chronicles
Part of what makes the Netflix television series The Crown so powerful is the exemplary character of the program's protagonist, Queen Elizabeth II. She accepted what Tina Brown aptly calls a "purely gestural role" as her life's work, and in over sixty years on the job, rarely put a wrong foot forward. Her consolation is that in devoting herself to duty, she seems to have found happiness, or, at the very least, contentment. It is difficult to know for certain, because the Queen considers it part of her job to keep a lid on her emotions.
A fascinating contrast to The Crown is the recently published Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown. It is a groundbreaking book. The author invents a brilliant and original format to take on his subject matter. It calls out the notion that biographies (or autobiographies for that matter) can ever be truly comprehensive. He uses various constructions and literary devices (including fiction and hypotheticals) to zip in, out, and around Princess Margaret's life. It is a Cubist painting in book form. And how appropriate. As the book surprisingly reveals, the Cubist painter Pablo Picasso once hoped to marry Margaret. O
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is the story of a tragic woman. In contrast to her older sister, who devoted herself to duty and found happiness, Margaret sought pleasure, but found despair. Scattered among the book's glimpses of Margaret are glances at her sister, Elizabeth, and they stand in stark contrast. Margaret was witty and mercurial. She could be counted upon to make things interesting, if not always pleasant. Whereas, the very nature of the job required the Queen to keep things dull. The passages in the book transcribing Elizabeth's formulaic conversations at official functions have a Warholian brilliance in their banality.
The graphic design on the American Edition hardcover is superb. One might be tempted to purchase the book in hardcover and keep on the shelf. However, the audio edition is brilliantly narrated by Eleanor Bron. It adds much to the story (particularly as to the more comedic glimpses) to hear it acted out by Bron in the plummy, aristocratic dialect in which Princess Margaret spoke.
A fascinating contrast to The Crown is the recently published Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret by Craig Brown. It is a groundbreaking book. The author invents a brilliant and original format to take on his subject matter. It calls out the notion that biographies (or autobiographies for that matter) can ever be truly comprehensive. He uses various constructions and literary devices (including fiction and hypotheticals) to zip in, out, and around Princess Margaret's life. It is a Cubist painting in book form. And how appropriate. As the book surprisingly reveals, the Cubist painter Pablo Picasso once hoped to marry Margaret. O
Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret is the story of a tragic woman. In contrast to her older sister, who devoted herself to duty and found happiness, Margaret sought pleasure, but found despair. Scattered among the book's glimpses of Margaret are glances at her sister, Elizabeth, and they stand in stark contrast. Margaret was witty and mercurial. She could be counted upon to make things interesting, if not always pleasant. Whereas, the very nature of the job required the Queen to keep things dull. The passages in the book transcribing Elizabeth's formulaic conversations at official functions have a Warholian brilliance in their banality.
The graphic design on the American Edition hardcover is superb. One might be tempted to purchase the book in hardcover and keep on the shelf. However, the audio edition is brilliantly narrated by Eleanor Bron. It adds much to the story (particularly as to the more comedic glimpses) to hear it acted out by Bron in the plummy, aristocratic dialect in which Princess Margaret spoke.
See Also: "A Royal Pain"
 "Ninety-Nine Glimpses of Princess Margaret" |  Queen Elizabeth II at Her Coronation; Photograph by Cecil Beaton |
Image Credit: Beaton in Vogue
RSS Feed