Another storm at sea

Our recent post on Gulliver’s Travels reminds me of a storm in that little-known work The 1001 Nights of Iarcus Oralto, by Denis Kodaly. We have posted some sections of this work before, but not its beginning, in which there is a storm at sea:

My uncle was a member of many cultural and benevolent societies, and it was through his connections in this area that an opportunity presented itself. The Rare Fauna Dissemination and Proliferation Society operated a small zoological garden in the Hammersmith area which contained many examples of exotic fauna, both alive and stuffed.  A recent fire had destroyed much of this unique collection, which the Society wished to rebuild as soon as possible. However, a shortage of funds prohibited the Society’s mounting its own expedition and accordingly a volunteer was sought who would sail on a merchant ship, collecting specimens wherever the ship happened to drop anchor.  The cost of passage would be paid, and a remuneration of 25 pence would be forthcoming for each specimen obtained.

Ahoy there, me hearties

Amanda Hampson : Sixty Summers

We came across Amanda Hampson among The Guardian’s Never Too Late articles. Here was a woman after our own hearts. She always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way. In her late forties, she ‘ realised that writing a novel had become like Everest.’ She decided to get on and do it, and in another five years she had published her first book, The Olive Sisters. At the age of fifty she had this book accepted by Penguin. She is now sixty-six and has written two non-fiction books and five novels.