FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Sir Roy Strong
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m reading a proof of Volume 2 of my diaries. A third volume will follow.
When are you at your happiest?
At home at The Laskett, a house full of memories. I’m a very lucky man: the house is beautiful and the garden a perpetual joy.
What is your greatest fear?
Becoming dependent on others.
What is your earliest memory?
Being in a perambulator pushed by my mother.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
Even now, in my 80s, I’m often so overstretched with commitments that I don’t have enough time for friendship.
Who has been your greatest influence?
There’s a whole mesh of influences, you can’t just say one, but perhaps Dame Frances Yates, who taught me that there were no barriers between the subjects and that if you had a trained mind you could lead it in any direction at all. I’ve written history, letters, diaries, garden-design books – knowledgeable books in a wide variety of fields. I owe that to her influence.
What is your most treasured possession?
My 131 scrapbooks, which record my life and the moment I married Julia Trevelyan Oman.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Not being able to move on. I can’t stand being with people who always say things were better in the past. No, they were just different!
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
In a way I think I’m betterlooking in old age than when I was young. You don’t have to dress young – you have to dress to your style. And you must always take a sharp look at yourself and update your haircut – very few men do.
What is your favourite book?
A good anthology of English poetry, such as Palgrave’s The Golden Treasury.
What is your favourite film?
Visconti’s The Leopard. It’s one of the greatest films ever made.
Strong Points: Palgrave's The Golden Treasury, The Leopard, the music of Elgar, and Prosciutto di Parma
What is your favourite piece of music?
Elgar’s Enigma Variations. It was my wife’s idea to use it in a Frederick Ashton ballet, for which she did the wonderful set and costumes.
What is your favourite meal?
Prosciutto di Parma with a little virgin olive oil and slivers of good Parmesan cheese and a bit of salad.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
I’m not going to do that one for the simple reason if I choose somebody then all sorts of people will read this and say ‘We all know you’re on a roll with that person…’
What is the nastiest thing that anyone has ever said to you?
I remember a terrible confrontation with the Minister of Education…
Do you believe in aliens?
No.
What is your secret vice?
I’m not aware that I have one.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes, always. It’s terribly important to do things in your own hand.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
If you’re a writer you spend your whole time ironing out anything repetitious.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A bottomless bank balance, I suppose.
Can you tell us one thing that people might not know about you?
Like what? I’ve been in the public domain for half a century.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Been there, done that.’
Scenes And Apparitions: The Roy Strong Diaries 1988-2003 is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 3 November. Roy Strong is speaking at The Chatsworth Festival, Art Out Loud, on 24 September
I’m reading a proof of Volume 2 of my diaries. A third volume will follow.
When are you at your happiest?
At home at The Laskett, a house full of memories. I’m a very lucky man: the house is beautiful and the garden a perpetual joy.
What is your greatest fear?
Becoming dependent on others.
What is your earliest memory?
Being in a perambulator pushed by my mother.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
Even now, in my 80s, I’m often so overstretched with commitments that I don’t have enough time for friendship.
Who has been your greatest influence?
There’s a whole mesh of influences, you can’t just say one, but perhaps Dame Frances Yates, who taught me that there were no barriers between the subjects and that if you had a trained mind you could lead it in any direction at all. I’ve written history, letters, diaries, garden-design books – knowledgeable books in a wide variety of fields. I owe that to her influence.
What is your most treasured possession?
My 131 scrapbooks, which record my life and the moment I married Julia Trevelyan Oman.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Not being able to move on. I can’t stand being with people who always say things were better in the past. No, they were just different!
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
In a way I think I’m betterlooking in old age than when I was young. You don’t have to dress young – you have to dress to your style. And you must always take a sharp look at yourself and update your haircut – very few men do.
What is your favourite book?
A good anthology of English poetry, such as Palgrave’s The Golden Treasury.
What is your favourite film?
Visconti’s The Leopard. It’s one of the greatest films ever made.
Strong Points: Palgrave's The Golden Treasury, The Leopard, the music of Elgar, and Prosciutto di ParmaWhat is your favourite piece of music?
Elgar’s Enigma Variations. It was my wife’s idea to use it in a Frederick Ashton ballet, for which she did the wonderful set and costumes.
What is your favourite meal?
Prosciutto di Parma with a little virgin olive oil and slivers of good Parmesan cheese and a bit of salad.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
I’m not going to do that one for the simple reason if I choose somebody then all sorts of people will read this and say ‘We all know you’re on a roll with that person…’
What is the nastiest thing that anyone has ever said to you?
I remember a terrible confrontation with the Minister of Education…
Do you believe in aliens?
No.
What is your secret vice?
I’m not aware that I have one.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Yes, always. It’s terribly important to do things in your own hand.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
If you’re a writer you spend your whole time ironing out anything repetitious.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
A bottomless bank balance, I suppose.
Can you tell us one thing that people might not know about you?
Like what? I’ve been in the public domain for half a century.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Been there, done that.’
Scenes And Apparitions: The Roy Strong Diaries 1988-2003 is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 3 November. Roy Strong is speaking at The Chatsworth Festival, Art Out Loud, on 24 September