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what diaries (other than Anne Frank) has anyone here read and what did they take away from them?
After reading the excellent War Diaries of Harold Nicolson, I looked about for further diaries and have since read the following:
John Evelyn
Donald Friend
Charles Greville
Derek Jarman
Samuel Pepys
Evelyn Waugh
In the case of Greville, I read a thick volume of edited entries but the full work, which would fill more than 28 vols, has never been published. The others I've read in their complete versions.
What I most enjoy is the range of perspectives a diary can provide; into historical times, psychology of the writer, the artlessness and honesty of a bared soul. Even the Waugh at his most maudlin can entertain and provide insight. Today on wikipedia I came across
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diarists
which is the most comprehensive I've seen yet.
Dear readers, I'm hoping for some recommendations as to other excellent ones, some discussion on the genre and will answer any reader questions regarding the ones I've already read.
pic related - Donald Friend self portrait
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I've read the diaries of Kafka, it was quitekafkaesque.
No really I liked it but it just reinforced what I already know about his life and his outlook on it from his novels.
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MY
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>>8956597
DIARY
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>>8956599
DESU
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>>8956555
Louis and Clarks journals are great
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>>8956710
The wiki list gives three Clarkes - Alan, Andrew and Ralph, and no Louis so you'll need to give forth somewhat more than this ...
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>>8956802
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, famed American explorers.
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>>8956807
OK, I can now see the Journals of Lewis and Clark on abebooks. At first glance it would seem to be a travel journal rather than a diary, which is a quite different genre.
I've read many travel journals also - have you read Dana's Two Years before the Mast?
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>>8956710
It's a bird!
It's a plane!
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casanova's autobiography is a must read
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>>8957256
no one ever read a diary? An autobiography is again quite a different animal again ...
surprised no one seems able to comprehend, but then this is a lit/ board
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Read Nicholas II diary.
Pretty cool stuff, especially on his last days.
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>>8958189
I wasn't aware there was a published Nicholas II diary. I've read a book by Grand Duchess George of Russia called A Romanov Diary. My recollection of it is that it is in small part a schoolgirl diary and later written commentary about the Tsar's last days, but in large part was letters from her husband that were written during his imprisonment during the revolution.
Looking online I can see there's a so called book around, Memoirs of Nicky and Alix by Nicholas Romanov and Alexandra Romanov, available as a print to order for which I can find no real published edition, editor or any cred. Is his what you read? I also see on wikipedia there's excerpts from Nicholas' diary quoted in a biography by Robert Massie ... but is here an actual published version of his diary?
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Bukowski.
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MY DIARY DESU! MY DIARY DESU! MY DIARY DESU!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!
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