College Record 2013
letter written in 1987 by Isaiah Berlin, that most genial and kindly of men and most acute observer, about a well-known Oxford character (now deceased): He is not exactly a stupid man, but the megalomania and the vanity are (as everyone points out) of a loony variety. The thing about X which is not so often noticed is that underneath the nonsense, the vanity, the ludicrous and dotty and boring and egotistical layers, he is quite a nasty man – very cruel to those who do not recognise his genius if they are weak and defenceless, and filled with hatred if they are in any degree formidable: a man who I think perhaps has some of the temperament of genius without a spark of genius, which is quite difficult to live with. If such colleagues are the price of authenticity for a college, no doubt we are better off as we are. But the distinctive ethos of Wolfson goes well beyond harmony within the Fellowship: the College prides itself on its democratic spirit and the way that only minimal distinctions are made between Fellows and graduate students. This openness is a legacy from the aspirations of the Iffley Fellows to create a new type of Oxford society. And this is why we have, for instance, a single Common Room to which we all belong. When we first moved into these buildings, apart from the Upper and Lower Common Rooms, there were also two small common rooms off the front quad (one is still there as a television room, the other has since been absorbed into the Library), and there was a suggestion that one of these might be reserved for Fellows, who might need to have confidential discussions about College matters or even individual graduate students. This suggestion was robustly seen off at a General Meeting (in those days almost everyone attended General Meetings), and one of the graduate students offered a rather appealing counter-suggestion: one of the churches in town, High Anglican or Catholic, was being refurbished and was offering for sale some of its old wooden confessionals – surely just the thing for Fellows wishing to have a private conversation. Of course this came to nothing, but with some amusement I see that there are currently moves afoot to create just such isolation booths within the Common Room by means of grotesquely high-backed furniture. I trust that this will be stoutly resisted and that the essential unity of the 135
Common Room, as a space where everyone can mingle freely and be seen, will be vigorously defended. That would be in the true Wolfson tradition. Maintaining the ideal of a single community does of course require some effort on all sides, and I should like to say particularly to the graduate students: ‘Don’t leave it to the Fellows to make all the running. Bear in mind that some of us are rather shy and easily intimidated by bright young people. If we seem occasionally crotchety, it may be that we are just insecure. We may need to be gently coaxed into congeniality. And above all never forget that anyone over a certain is age is always glad to find a new audience for the jokes and anecdotes that colleagues have already heard rather too often.’ Gently coaxed into congeniality in Fethiye (SW Turkey) Here, I’m afraid, is an example. Sorting my books at home the other day, I came across a half-forgotten volume by George Borrow, first published in 1874, called Romano Lavo-Lil, about gypsy language. It contains an alleged gypsy song, which I am quite sure Borrow himself wrote, that has always given me great pleasure. The 136
- Page 85 and 86: Quite coincidentally, Jon Rowland a
- Page 87 and 88: time, we have welcomed Catriona Can
- Page 89 and 90: in prosecco kindly provided by the
- Page 91 and 92: continued throughout the year with
- Page 93 and 94: comets and asteroids, have been con
- Page 95 and 96: St Antony’s 3-1, a hard-earned vi
- Page 97 and 98: Karate For many years Wolfsonians h
- Page 99 and 100: included the annual performance at
- Page 101 and 102: your era, but without the dressing-
- Page 103 and 104: translated A Countess in limbo: Dia
- Page 105 and 106: a warm day, and the top seeds looke
- Page 107 and 108: Wolfson/Darwin Day 2013 This year
- Page 109 and 110: students and Fellows - vital for in
- Page 111 and 112: Life-Stories Event The fourth annua
- Page 113 and 114: thank her for her hard work, impert
- Page 115 and 116: Wolfson’s Early Printed Books by
- Page 117 and 118: firm in 1516. It includes a variety
- Page 119 and 120: few lines of text are surrounded by
- Page 121 and 122: Music is Everywhere by John Duggan,
- Page 123 and 124: for the final part, and the Wolfsca
- Page 125 and 126: so, with a little gentle prodding,
- Page 127 and 128: The Death of a King by Martin Henig
- Page 129 and 130: I suppose we were a generation lost
- Page 131 and 132: tube or hypostome (shown orange in
- Page 133 and 134: In trying to develop creativity in
- Page 135: Pawdle across the chumba John Penne
- Page 139 and 140: The Record Adam Reilly proposes to
- Page 141 and 142: Deaths Baldick Robert Julian (GS 19
- Page 143 and 144: Mendoza, Blanca (GS 1980-85, MCR 19
- Page 145 and 146: Beebe, Steven A Business and Profes
- Page 147 and 148: Hodges, Christopher (MCR 2011-) Con
- Page 149 and 150: Sorabji, Richard (MCR 1991-96, SF 1
- Page 151 and 152: 150
- Page 153 and 154: 152
Common Room, as a space where everyone can mingle freely and be seen, will be<br />
vigorously defended. That would be in the true Wolfson tradition.<br />
Maintaining the ideal of a single community does of course require some effort<br />
on all sides, and I should like to say particularly to the graduate students: ‘Don’t<br />
leave it to the Fellows to make all the running. Bear in mind that some of us are<br />
rather shy and easily intimidated by bright young people. If we seem occasionally<br />
crotchety, it may be that we are just insecure. We may need to be gently coaxed into<br />
congeniality. And above all never forget that anyone over a certain is age is always<br />
glad to find a new audience for the jokes and anecdotes that colleagues have already<br />
heard rather too often.’<br />
Gently coaxed into congeniality in Fethiye (SW Turkey)<br />
Here, I’m afraid, is an example. Sorting my books at home the other day, I came<br />
across a half-forgotten volume by George Borrow, first published in 1874, called<br />
Romano Lavo-Lil, about gypsy language. It contains an alleged gypsy song, which<br />
I am quite sure Borrow himself wrote, that has always given me great pleasure. The<br />
136
Change language