{"product_id":"splendours-and-miseries-isbn-9781474605335","title":"Splendours and Miseries","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The Alan Clark diaries of cultural politics' \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'At every word a reputation dies' A. N. Wilson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRoy Strong is best known as the flamboyant former director of two great cultural institutions - the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria \u0026amp; Albert Museum. In his first volume of diaries, he takes the reader into the heart of his career, revealing himself to be not just a mercurial and brilliant administrator, but also a shrewd observer of the glittering and political milieu into which he was drawn.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWe encounter David Hockney in his studio, the poignant figure of Cecil Beaton in decline, Nureyev fizzing with ideas and the Philistine Mrs Thatcher among many others, including a bevy of the Royal Family. And throughout the diaries runs the thread of an exceptional marriage, following his elopement with the designer Julia Trevelyan Oman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSplendours and Miseries \u003c\/i\u003eprovides a unique panorama of the world of the arts, fashion and society, taking us from the outrageous Swinging Sixties to the hard-edged glitz of Thatcher's Britain.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Weidenfeld \u0026 Nicolson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44895042339045,"sku":"NP9781474605335","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/444c3ad6-69d0-4d5f-bdc2-ab0300035a82.jpg?v=1767884187","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/splendours-and-miseries-isbn-9781474605335","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}