Forbes the obscure
Sir: Having recently finished reading The Diaries of Cynthia Gladwyn edited by Miles Jebb, I was somewhat astonished to read Mr Alastair Forbes's criticism (Books, 25 November).
Mr Forbes, in his tiresome style, actually has the nerve to criticise Miles Jebb's prose; this despite the fact that the prose is Cynthia Gladwyn's, apart from a brief and informative introduction and essential footnotes.
Forbes says later . the plums, mostly political, have to be dug out of too much often silly stodge'. This is simply not so. To me, and I suspect others, the diaries suc- cessfully take one into another world, a world of elegance and style, a world where power was in the hands of a few and where Lord Gladwyn's political influence was strong and respected. The diaries are infor- mative and great entertainment. I was gen- uinely sorry when I finished the book.
Incidentally, Mr Forbes's rather obscure ramblings on the subject of the Hultons amused me as it is in the same entry (19 March 1947) as the only reference to him- self in the entire book. He appears in the `amongst others present' category.
One final point: where are all the errors he talks about? None leapt off the page at me. Maybe, with the new broom in Doughty Street, it is time Mr Forbes was put out to grass.
Mrs Peter Low
Darsham House, Nr Saxmundham, Suffolk p
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