Joy and Delight
Last week a friend sent me her latest book, a slim and--I know after devouring it in a single sitting--delicious volume called Putt Putt, Bang Bang. Attached, this note:
My latest frivolity (perpetrated in my 89th year) which I hope you will enjoy.
Priscilla
"Priscilla" is of course Priscilla Buckley, the sister of William F. Buckley, Jr. and for many years his right hand as the managing editor of the magazine he founded, National Review. Miss Buckley--for that is what she was to me when, a student at Dartmouth who dreamed of writing for NR, I first met her--sat in an office directly below WFB's in the converted brownstone just off Lexington Avenue in which NR had its offices. As the deadline for each issue approached, Priscilla and WFB would pass manuscripts back-and-forth by means of an old dumb waiter. She would edit copy, then send it up for his approval; he would edit copy, then send it down to Priscilla, who would gently and diplomatically if she sensed that the author in question would be either outraged or crushed by WFB's markups, which could prove (believe me) extensive.
WFB was a great man, always traveling, ducking into the office for brief, intense periods, his door protected by Frances Bronson, his loyal and fierce assistant, but Miss Buckley was always approachable, always warm, always utterly delightful, always willing to offer advice to interns and younger members of the staff about writing, hailing taxis, and the menu at Paone's, the restaurant a couple of blocks away that was WFB's favorite. (My first time at Paone's, I found myself seated next to WFB, who asked what I would have. Glancing at the menu, I discovered that I knew neither the meaning nor the pronunciation of a single item. Miss Buckley, sensing my panic, spoke up. "Try the fettucine, Peter. Think of it as fancy spaghetti.")
"Miss Buckley's Finishing School for Young Ladies and Gentlemen of Conservative Persuasion." That was the name the great James Burnham called the effect that Priscilla had on dozens of us--George Will, Paul Gigot, Bill McGurn, Mona Charen, Rick Brookhiser, Linda Bridges, Jay Nordlinger, and others. The unflappable good cheer--that and the sense that she was always, at some level, having fun--that's what I recall best.
Which brings me to Putt Putt, Bang Bang, Priscilla's memoir of the sporting life--or rather of her sporting life. Horses, which she merely tolerated, duck hunting, which she disliked, but which she merrily endured for the sake of her brothers John and Reid, and golf--always golf.
Golf is a till-death-do-us-part situation: a blessing and a curse, both of biblical proportions: it humbleth the proud, and bringeth the mighty low, but does not, necessarily, raise up the humble. Golf is aggravating, entrancing, humiliating, uplifting, amusing, baffling, depressing, exhilarating, frustrating, debilitating, joyous. It is the kind of game where you are always picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and starting all over again, and again, and again. It can sunder friendships, it has sundered marraiges. It is expensive, and time-consuming, but as any golfer will tell you, there is nothign quite like the exhilaration of a well-struck drive, of a crisp 6-iron to the green, or of that impossible putt that careens thirty feet on a slick and treacherous green to drop into the cup....Golf is one of the few sports where players with widely disparate talents can enjoy playing together because handicaps do indeed level the playing field. Golf is fun.
Putt Putt, Bang Bang conveys the same sense of joy and delight--the same sheer sense of fun--that Priscilla Buckley herself always conveys. To order a copy, send an email to pbuckley@mohawk.net.
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Nov '10
Re: Joy and Delight
Thank you for the lovely picture and the lovely reminiscences. I will order the book immediately.
Re: Joy and Delight
You'll love it! Every word conveys Priscilla's personality, which is the highest praise I know how to offer.
By the way, Lucy, have you seen The Voyage of the Dawn Treader yet? It's getting mixed reviews. I'd be interested in hearing what a dedicated Narnia fan has to say about it. (I've always loved The Voyage of the Dawn Treader--just loved it. I must have read it half a dozen times since discovering Narnia at the age of 12 or so. Which means? That I'm almost frightened to see the movie.)
Jul '10
Re: Joy and Delight
What a fun post. I've never read a more real description about golf than the one You provided. It's gotta be worth a read.
Nov '10
Re: Joy and Delight
Someone I know once said that everyone described Priscilla with the same single word, "wonderful", which is not particularly evocative. If the book captures her personality, I will have to buy ten copies and share them around.
No, I haven't seen the new movie. I did see Ross Douthat's review, which discouraged me, but the big problem is that I pretty much only see movies these days that I can take my 8-year-old daughter to, and I've not succeeded in talking her into this one.
As a matter of fact, I haven't been able to interest her in Narnia at all. This worries me somewhat, since I do think they are a kind of "baptism of the imagination," but she's generally cautious about the books I loved when I was a child.
Jun '10
Re: Joy and Delight
"Golf is aggravating, entrancing, humiliating, uplifting, amusing, baffling, depressing, exhilarating, frustrating, debilitating, joyous."
I'm a golfer and Miss Buckley's description of golf is utterly true.
Another one I like is "golf is a game of tolerable misses."
To put it in conservative terms, golf is the ultimate anti-utopian game (good intentions mean nothing). It is one of the great examples that proves that the tragic view of life is the only true one. I'm surprised Obama hasn't figured some of this out. (Or maybe not. Some people actually (and hubristically) believe they've mastered the game).
May '10
Re: Joy and Delight
I saw it. I'm also an avid Narnia fan since 8. It was quite different from the book. Many of the island stops were condensed. The movie created whole other story lines. Overall, I'd give it a 2 out of 5 stars. The only part I actually enjoyed was the actor playing Eustace. Anytime he said something, he had the audience laughing, pretty much the way Lewis had portrayed him.
Nov '10
Re: Joy and Delight
Absolutely adored "Living It Up At National Review" ! (Know I should have eliminated that exclamation point as per chapter 15).
Lovely to hear that Miss Buckley has yet to miss a beat.
Edited on Dec 29, 2010 at 6:12pmOct '10
Re: Joy and Delight
FeliciaB
I saw it. I'm also an avid Narnia fan since 8. It was quite different from the book. Many of the island stops were condensed. The movie created whole other story lines. Overall, I'd give it a 2 out of 5 stars. The only part I actually enjoyed was the actor playing Eustace. Anytime he said something, he had the audience laughing, pretty much the way Lewis had portrayed him. · Dec 29 at 6:00pm
I saw The Voyage of the Dawn Treader back on December 21. i thought it was an excellent film, but I am at a bit of a disadvantage as I have never read C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia stories. I have, however, read his three science fiction classics: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. I hope those will someday make it to the silver screen.
Sep '10
Re: Joy and Delight
All you Narnia fans have to read Planet Narnia.
Aug '10
Re: Joy and Delight
Thanks for the reminder. I heard the author interviewed on Mars Hill Audio Journal and found his thesis facinating. From the website:
"Planet Narnia and The Narnia Code argue that Lewis secretly constructed the Chronicles of Narnia out of the imagery associated with the seven heavens of the medieval cosmos".
From all I have heard since then he seems to have made his case.
And do check out Mars Hill Audio Journal. Every issue delivers deep, challenging and interesting thought on a whole range of topics.
I recently heard Paul Rahe explain how American Progressivism is in fact a form Christian heresy.
Good stuff.
Nov '10
Re: Joy and Delight
I'd like it if they made The Screwtape Letters into a movie.
Dec '10
Re: Joy and Delight
It is wonderful to see that Miss (shouldn't it be Mrs.? Just asking.) Buckley is a golf enthusiast. That alone makes me want to read the book. Nordlinger is one of my all time favorites - loved his book "Here There and Everywhere", and his rants on and about golf are not to be missed!
As for the latest offering of Narnia, we read the Narnia series aloud to our 2 older boys a few years ago (2011 note to self - need to start that for our 2 young daughters). While "Dawn Treader" strays often from the book it is worth every single moment for the last 5 minutes of the movie. No spoiler here, but for a believer in the biblical promise of eternity with God in heaven, it is - well - Paradise. I highly recommend the investment.
May '10
Re: Joy and Delight
Given how well she did with so many, how did Ms. Buckley fail so miserably with Garry Wills? A slip-up in execution, or bad raw materials?