Catzeye (Michaelmas 2011) [f]_Layout 1 - St. Catherine's College

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when it gradually penetrated that it was indeed
the editor of the Guardian inviting me to write
them a puzzle column. The column wobbled to
begin with. I made lots of mistakes and spent
most of my time replying to letters beginning with
‘Dear Idiot’ and even worse. The puzzle column of
a newspaper is the one that readers feel most
critical and defensive about. They imagine
themselves locking horns with a superior being,
and it rarely occurs to them that the writer might
be just as puzzled by his puzzles as they are, but
I value this contact with readers unmediated by
agents, publishers and editors – even if it does
take longer to write!
In 1987, I published The Pyrgic Puzzler, a
collection of puzzles which owe their origins to
John Simopoulos’ trip to a Greek pyrgos, one of
the beautiful towers on the isle of Lesbos. I
dashed off a number of brain-teasers to occupy
him on his travels. One of his guests was the
prolific author Iris Murdoch, who happened to
pick up my book of puzzles. It’s not often you
find yourself being told by a novelist, especially
one of Iris’ status, that what you wrote as a mere
jeu d’esprit should be published. But Iris –
though I argued with her about everything from
philosophy to the correct way of ironing shirts –
was a generous person, and incredibly supportive,
even writing the foreword to my book.
The Gulf War brought new challenges for the
author of The Pyrgic Puzzler, who was invited
to broadcast to hostages being held in Iran.
I remember driving up to Bush House, home of
the BBC World Service, and rehearsing my puzzle
story. Although the puzzle-stories were
funny and outrageous, I took the
responsibility very seriously. For a hostage,
the only freedom is mental, and how good
it is to escape (if only temporarily) from
one’s predicament to that parallel universe
we all have access to: the imagination.
I made four broadcasts before the hostages
were eventually released. I received
appreciative feedback from the World
Service, and from Roger Cooper, one of the
hostages, who told me what an important
part exercises – mental and physical –
played in surviving his imprisonment.
‘My happiest
days were at
Catz. One
speaks
metaphorically
of a college as
an alma mater.
In my case it
was also
literally true’
Chris Maslanka
(1973, Physics)
K Chris Maslanka and
friends in the JCR bar
My happiest days were at Catz. A refugee from an
unhappy home, not only was I now fed and
housed, but also allowed, nay, encouraged to
think. One speaks metaphorically of a college as
an alma mater. In my case, it was also literally
true.
A time capsule is symbolic of the gifts that one
generation hands down to another. In de Rerum
Naturae, Lucretius articulates this perfectly. He
says that the sum of things is ever being
renewed, humans live dependent on each other
and, ultimately, quasi cursores vitae lampada
tradunt – like runners they pass on the torch of
life.
We cannot hope for immortality, but we can work
to be part of some community that will outlast
us. Catz, being more than the sum of its parts,
and so much more than a piece of architecture, or
an institution, provides one such strand of
continuity between the generations. ‘The new
spring up as the old are passing’, Homer writes.
Founding Catz was an act of the imagination and
will, for which Bullock should be lauded. But it
doesn’t end there. A college has a life of its own,
one that needs tending and nurturing. It requires
creativity and wisdom to steer it through troubled
times. But it also places faith in the future. It is
like planting a tree. You don’t know who will
gather its fruit or enjoy its shade. Investing in
people as yet unborn and whom you may never
meet is one of the most worthwhile things we
can do as human beings. ■
For over twenty years, Chris has kept Catz
puzzled. His latest offering, devising clues
as to the contents of the College Time
Capsule, has urged him to reflect on his
time at Catz, and all it continues to stand for.