Distractions

When the rabbit holes all seem to lead back to the same place

A Moment Of Distraction (1868) by Gustave de Jonghe

Dear Supporters,

I sat down at the start of this week with the solemn intention of writing a post for you in the spirit of notes and queries of When Found Make Note Of.

I planned this to be a follow-up to my piece on William Hazlitt’s essay, On Antiguity. Although I never doubted for a moment the attraction of Hazlitt’s prose, I was a little unsure how my notion of an extended Substack comment in reaction to the essay would go down. In the end, I was very grateful (though I should not have been surprised) by the generosity and curiosity of your responses.

In the event, I’ve found myself on the road this week (Hanoi again) and also with other essays on the go. At the moment, I’m trying to write about a favourite book (for

Mr. Troy Ford

) as well as something on carnival.

As a result, there’s an interesting conversation going on in my head between Hazlitt, Samuel Beckett, and the late Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa. Unfortunately, though, I’ve barely been able to get a word in edgeways myself.