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Westminster in words

Friday, 4th July 2008

National Review publishes a symposium on books everyone ought to be reading. John Podhoretz notices one title is missing:

I am shocked, shocked that no one mentioned what is without question the best political novel ever written — "Phineas Finn", Anthony Trollope's account of an idealistic young member of Parliament and how his naive belief that he can do good things in London is tested by the complicated realities of how power is wielded, how money influences policy, and how compromise is a necessary evil. It is witty and wise and timeless. It is not just the best political novel; it may be the best book about politics ever written.

To be fair, Mona Charen does nominate the magnificent "The Way We Live Now", although she has misgivings about the way Trollope depicts Melmotte (a 19th century Robert Maxwell) and the anti-semitism of the times. I'd give him a pass - just - on the grounds that he gives us the likeable Ezekiel Breghert too.

Btw, she shouldn't be so shy about admitting to reading "Dracula". It's shockingly under-rated. As a matter of fact, I've just put my 15 year-old son onto Bram Stoker's tale. The many film versions (including the wildly over-rated "Nosferatu") never, ever do justice to it.

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Chris

July 4th, 2008 12:46pm

It's not in any meaningful way a true adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel - but there is much to be said for the 1931 Tod Browning / Bela Lugosi 'Dracula'. It's really a filmed stage play - but I found it remarkably compelling and huge fun when I saw it again recently.

Clive

July 4th, 2008 1:27pm

Yes, Bela L makes a v good Dracula. The problem for film-makers is that the book is so multi-layered, with all those different voices, letter writers and diarists. V little of that comes across on screen, naturally. I had high hopes of the Coppola film, but it was a mess, by and large.

Paul Hill

July 4th, 2008 3:13pm

IMHO Murnau's 1922 Nosferatu HAS ,however, stood the test of time and can claim its place in any consideration of this genre

ndm

July 4th, 2008 6:10pm

John Galt, the Scottish satirical novelist, whose name has been so abused by Ayn Rand and her followers wrote two interesting satires on Parliament: The Member and The Radical. Canongate has made them both available in single paperback edition.