UPCOMING EVENTS – HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE
18 NOVEMBER MARADONA: I shall be drawing on my experience of researching, writing and updating several editions of Hand of God- my biography of Diego Maradona for a talk entitled: “MARADONA: A VERY ARGENTINE MYTH .” The talk will cover his life and times from birth in the shanty-town of Villa Fiorito to last summer’s extraordinary appearance at the World Cup.
Venue: Canning House, 2 Belgrave Square, London SW1X (telef: 02072352303)
Time: 6.30 pm
The event is being organised by The Anglo-Argentine Society
I shall be signing copies of the latest paperback editions of Hand of God and of The Land that lost its Heroes: How Argentina lost the Falklands War.
TICKETS: Members £ 10.
Non-members £ 20
To: The Anglo-Argentine Society, 2 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PJ
I enclose a cheque for £…………admission fee to “Maradona: a very Argentine myth” on Thursday 18th November 2010.
Name……………………………………………………………………….Member of the Society? YES/NO
PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD (MasterCard or Visa only). Please charge my card with the above sum.
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22 NOVEMBER SPIES: The Times journalist Ben Macintyre, author of agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat and myself, Jimmy Burns- author of Papa Spy (now out in paperback) will be discussing our latest books and the nature of spies both in WW2 and now: their traits, moral codes, and the difference that they make. We shall be in conversation with Alex Von Tunzemann, author of forthcoming Red Heat.
Venue: Kensington Central Library, Phillimore Walk, London W87RX, (tel: 0207 3613010)
Tickets (£5 or £3, concessions)
Payment in person or by post, cash or cheque (cheques payable to The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea)
Payment by credit or debit card via librariesline 0207 3613010)
For more details about the event and the festival: www.londonhistoryfestival.com
Autumn highlights
I voted for Ed Milliband as the new Labour leader.
I spoke at the London presentation in the Hotel Hesperia of Solsona Communications. The Barcelona based PR and events company is run by Montse Solsona, a genial and energetic Montse Solsona who made a name for herself helping promote the hugely successful Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. Her company has since established itself as one of the leading communications and events companies in Spain with a network of clients across Europe.
The company is looking for cooperative partnerships in the UK, at a time of expanding UK-Spanish business links. The head of its Madrid office is Pedro Perez de Arroyo, an old journalist friend that I have known since his time at Recoletos, when the Spanish media group was in partnership with the FT where I worked for over thirty years. A few days before the event, Montse very kindly took me along to see the former socialist mayor of Barcelona Pasqual Maragall. It was a happy informal reunion. The last time Pasqual and I had spent any time together was during the early 1990’s when the FT invited him over to London and I wrote a profile of him being Mayor of London for the day. Despite suffering from Alzheimer’s, Pasqual remembered the occasion with humour and grace. At the Solsona conference in London I quoted from the FT’s motto ‘Beyond Fear or Favour’, warning that any organization that underestimated the intelligence of journalists did themselves no favours.As for PR companies I invented the acronym DOPE as a standard of best practice.
D is for Diligence- a necessary seriousness in checking out one’s subject
O is for organization- making sure that the message is delivered in a consistent timely way and with credible content.
P can stand for Personality or People. No amount of technological wizardly can make up for good management of employees and clients.
E is for Excellence. You have to do it better than anybody and never lower your standards.
As a trustee and vice-chairman, I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Anglo-Spanish Society in London. This registered charity has undergone a major reorganization thanks to the energetic chairmanship of former British ambassador in Madrid, Dame Denise Holt. Support from Spanish companies operating in the UK has helped the Society develop a scholarship program for Spanish and UK students. With the aim of reaching out to people who love Spain and things Spanish, it also organizes cultural and social events and publishes a magazine called La Revista.
The latest issue of La Revista which I help edit and publish emerges from the printers and begins to be distributed.. Thanks to the imaginative design by Steve Bunn, a lecturer at the Royal College of Sculpture, some great contributions from our network of volunteers, and support from advertisers, this magazine is rapidly becoming a must read for anyone interested in Spain, things Spanish, and the developing Anglo-Spanish social scene under the auspices of The Anglo Spanish Society-a charity well worth joining. For more information see www.anglopanishsociety.org
To the monthly meeting of trustees and executive committee meeting of The Friends of Battersea Park, a charity I helped found back in the 1980’s. The Friends exists to help protect and enhance the beauty of London’s most popular park as a treasured green space. We are getting very excited about the opening in March of the new Winter Garden which we are funding in cooperation with Wandsworth Council. For more info: www.batterseapark.org
I helped edit and also wrote for the excellent international Catholic weekly the Tablet during the Pope’s visit to the UK. As a ‘liberal’ Catholic I admit at having been somewhat anxious about the visit. I believe it turned out much better than most people expected with the Pope showing a more human side than hitherto was thought possible.
Was in conversation with Tim Butcher, author of Chasing the Devil at the wonderfully well managed Daunts bookshop in Marylebone High Street on the subject of Graham Greene and his influence on our writing.
Tim and I did a similar double act at the launch of this year’s Mere Festival before parting ways. He has returned to South Africa where his home is at present. I wish him well with his latest book and his writing generally now that he has left the Telegraph.
Trips to Barcelona and Madrid to catch up with old friends and develop ideas for a new book. In Barcelona a radical Catalan nationalism is on the rise. In Madrid, it’s difficult to find anyone who is satisfied with the government of Jose Luis Zapatero’s handling of the economic crisis. Both Barca and Real Madrid are playing well but the former is embroiled in a messy internal political row over allegations of mismanagement surrounding former president Joan Laporta.
I was one of the judges and delivered speech at the annual awards for the best Spanish short story written on a London theme. The event was held at Iberica, the quality tapas place and conceived and organized by the energetic Laura Rodriguez, founder of the online magazine for young Spaniards El Colectivo de Londres. Supporters of the event included the Cervantes Institute and the European Bookshop. The event drew a large youthful crowd of Spaniards, Latin Americans, and Brits. It deserves to become a permanent fixture of the literary calendar and anglo-latino social scene.
11th November Armistice Day- Remembering and Honouring the War Dead. War memorial Battersea Park.10.45 am. The Friends of Battersea Park have funded the cleaning of the memorial and published a leaflet about it. A group of us, representing the charity are present together with local Councilllors, officers, and mourners.
High point of the autumn for me: the rescue of the Chilean miners. Low point: voters turning against Obama in the US.
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Copyright (C) 2010 Jimmy Burns All rights reserved.
