Autobiography

I had no knowledge of Neville Cardus until I found a reference to him in Collin Welland's Anthology of Northern Humour. I am also no fan of cricket or classical music. However, I do like lyrical prose and am interested in the everyday existence and survival of ordinary people.Neville Cardus came from one of the poorest neighbourhoods of Manchester, his birth was illegitimate and he was raised primarily by his aunt who was the classic whore with a heart of gold. He had very little formal education, but was sustained by a questing intellect that led him to music, literature, self-education and cricket. His story, and his evocation of the era in which he lived, is told with wonder and grace. My copy was a battered op-shop paperback that I decided looked interesting despite the cover illustration depicting a conductor and some cricketers. Some stories deserve to be read.

While it's fairly niche stuff, Sir Neville Cardus' autobiography is full of the graceful prose that made him world famous as both a cricket and music writer. Especially vivid is his memory of being a dirt-poor little boy in Manchester at the turn of the 20th Century. Be you a history buff, cricket lover or fan of classical music, or even none of those three, this is a delightful book written by a most thoughtful and philosophical man.