My best literary friend. I have been reading O'Brian since my university days (late 1980s) and I return to the series randomly, reading 2-3 books, every year. I am never let down, finding additional jewels, little in-jokes missed by my younger self, a piece of purple prose ... I cannot imagine my life without them. Oh, and bless the kindle, I have them all with me wherever I am.
the description of the aardvark by in Mauritius command is a classic example of the humor our younger selves miss. Patrick Tulls doctor performances give life to the book's for those who don't have time for paper versions. still haven't read 21. probably won't ever.
While listening to the intro I couldn't help remembering the bit in the 'Nothing Personal' documentary, in which O'Brian reacts to fan mail by haughtily quoting Samuel Johnson: "consider what your praise is worth''. I assume the same thought was running through his head here.
Ho letto e riletto una infinitá di volte i volumi scritti da Patrick O'Brian e dedicati alla Saga di Jack e Stephen. Un tuffo nella storia della Gran Bretagna durante le guerre napoleoniche, ma anche del modo di vivere degli inglesi di quel tempo. Mi sono emozionato nel vedere il mio scrittore preferito; di lui avevo visto solo delle foto. Approfitto per ringraziarlo delle centinaia, direi migliaia, di ore di ottima lettura che mi ha regalato. E se esiste un aldilà, lui sarà sicuramente nel suo mondo, fatto di uomini coraggiosi, di interminabili cacce sul mare, di tempeste e onde ciclopiche o calme piatte. Grazie Maestro, riposi in pace fra i suoi eroi.
What a fascinating man, and an excellent interview. A true shame we lost him. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve read his books. It’s a bi annual thing for me.
Have to say I've read the series (in paper trim, ha!) four or five times and I'm now enjoying them again through Kindle. He is a wide ranging, expressive and quite unique writer that we will not see again for a while. In the late 1980's and through the 1990's, and having been severely bitten by the bug, it was maddening to have to wait a whole year for each new book. Especially so, given that each new book would be read in less than a day ...
We ran noise-suppression and EQ on the recording to improve the original sound. What you hear now is better than what's on the tape. We'll be working next month to transcribe it and add caption to the UA-cam video.
@@JohnyG29 Thank you for the hint kind sir. By our suggestion you have made it possible for my aging mind to comprehend this interview without undo further or continued struggle. Sadly, at present, I fear my ears, or the failure of same, has effected an inability to hear the video as presented. At my not yet great age of 61, due to cannon fire below decks, damage done during a youthful fulfillment of patriotic, or dare I say, in the modern sense, "civic duty". At present I live in relative silence unless interrupted by the rare visit of various assorted sea birds upon my station, or music masquerading as fine art by sailors produced and performed by men more qualified and certainly more competent than I. Despite my elderly afflictions, I declare upon my word, to be your humble servant now and always, Signed, Affectionately, muchmorecoffee
Just read The Golden Ocean and you are entirely correct. The man was a Master Storyteller, a Bard, a weaver of narrative beyond any other modern writer of Naval Fiction. All pale into mere shades before him. He has single-handedly ruined my enjoyment of almost any other work of fiction I read, as all will ineffably fail to match his work for erudition, style, natural humour and, above all, humanity.
aSkepticalman, I totally agree about the ruination of other fiction works I have come late to O`Brian; having purchased all 20 completed Aubrey/Maturin novels in March of this year, I am now on the penultimate one, for the 6th time of reading the series, in November. Most other books that I try are discarded ,although there are some of about the same chronological era ,but not seafaring ,written by a British Author Sarah Woodhouse which I enjoy .
I am now reading "The Wine Dark Sea" and this is probably the 14'th book of his I've read. I love them all and I am a passionate admirer of O'Brian. I also have his bio on Joseph Banks but have not yet read it. So many times when I've completed another book I raise up my thoughts to the heavens and bless his soul. He has brought endless joy to me. Happy 100'th birth year to this master writer.
I have read ALL of the books 7 times. I'd like to knock this moderator on the head. He must be reading from a list of questions provided by the members- always a guarantee of mediocrity. The historical fiction is spectacular- but the REAL value I find is the insight and commentary on human behavior and relationships- ships at sea are pressure cookers for people in that they cannot escape each other and emotions are amplified. O'Brian is better than any college course of study in Psychology. Add to that the priceless use of historical language and medical philosophy and I'll make no apologies for reading all 6500 pages 7 times straight through.
We're glad you enjoyed the video. We have but only one recording of this event on a VHS tape in our archive. As nerinaodistre commented, Patrick O'Brian's audio is not clear, owing to the poor condition of the recording. If anyone possesses a better recording of this event, please contact us.
From personal experience he was likely so very drunk that speech itself was a challenge. He may have been a great writer, but as so many great artists are, a deeply crude and troubled man.
William Waldgrave was a British government minister between 1981 and 1997 and is now a peer of the realm. Shows you how well connected Richard P. Russ was. I suppose that should come as no surprise given that his life remains shrouded in some mystery, particularly his time with British intelligence during WWII (and possibly after it). He's a bit like Ian Fleming or John Le Carre in some ways, although he reminds much more of George Smiley than Le Carre! But thank the Lord for Patrick O'Brian, R.P.Russ's greatest invention!
Very surprising the Patrick O'Brian agreed to such a long interview in public. But it is excellent that here we can actually see and hear him in the flesh now that he has passed away.
Thank you so much for the captioning! I often struggle to understand higher-quality audio than this, and this video would have been impossible for me if it weren't for the well-made captions. A much better experience than UA-cam auto-captions as well: grammatical, done by a captioner who has the relevant vocabulary and knowledge, and has the grace to say "[inaudible]" instead of just disappearing when speech is too unclear.
How would Jack have handled it? Squared his shoulders, the piratical glean in his blue eyes flashing once again, walked tall outside and remarked .. "prodigious fine day!".
I have yet to read a book by POB that takes me from one side of the world to the other. He is truly a scholar and superb story teller. If there is any man who wishes to example him in either literary or real life experience he will be met with a swift execution or pitiable death.
O'Brian was a very private man. In this interview he reveals a bit more about himself than in a documentary (also on UA-cam) filmed earlier, where he really played the Sphinx. Some day, a committed O'Brian fan with the time likely will delve into the archives and the data-mining resources of our age to come up with a decent biography which reveals much more about him. Not least, such a biography will test the theory that he was a British secret agent in southern France (where he later lived) during WW II. By now, I suspect the MI-6 files for that era are pretty accessible.
I'm done with POB and sea fiction for a long time. I'm going to save them for my later years and for when I understand more of the technical aspects of sailing and the history of that period. I did not finish the last book, so I have something left. POB knew his history, but I have much to learn.
It's in these time that I realise I much we couldn't live without HD anymore. It's pitiful that so much great moments were only recorded in a tiny 720x480 blurry window. Our kids will have 8k tv's. So much the better! As for the sound, a little EQ job would help...
@Shaun Hollomby Patrick O'Brian was not his real name. His true name was Richard Patrick Russ. I'm not sure why he adopted a pen name, but he worked in military intelligence before he became an author, so I'd wager it had something to do with that.
A good number of authors go by a pen name. One reason, is so they can write for more than one publisher, simultaneously. Writers by nature, are an introverted lot, too. They create a world, and we're lucky to get a peek inside.
Perhaps its more a question of not understanding his accent at a slightly lower volume? While Canadian, I grew up watching British television and have no issues with understanding Mr. O'Brian.
And I might add that I thought the movie was really good, but no that I have read the series, I'd say it was so-so. Russell Crowe was good, but a big fat Englishman would be better for the part. Jack was a big guy.
The poor show host is an ant beneath a giant. O'Brian makes many references he hopes/assumes a man of the interviewer's status may or might understand at least in context to build upon his next statement and the poor host is clueless and gives a deer-in-headlights stare. I do hope Patrick continued with the hope that at least someone in the audience had some sort of comparative understanding of his references.
My best literary friend. I have been reading O'Brian since my university days (late 1980s) and I return to the series randomly, reading 2-3 books, every year. I am never let down, finding additional jewels, little in-jokes missed by my younger self, a piece of purple prose ... I cannot imagine my life without them. Oh, and bless the kindle, I have them all with me wherever I am.
the description of the aardvark by in Mauritius command is a classic example of the humor our younger selves miss.
Patrick Tulls doctor performances give life to the book's for those who don't have time for paper versions.
still haven't read 21.
probably won't ever.
There's not much to read, but it's worth it nonetheless
Thank you Mariners museum and thank you Patrick O’Brian.
My favourite writer
While listening to the intro I couldn't help remembering the bit in the 'Nothing Personal' documentary, in which O'Brian reacts to fan mail by haughtily quoting Samuel Johnson: "consider what your praise is worth''. I assume the same thought was running through his head here.
Ho letto e riletto una infinitá di volte i volumi scritti da Patrick O'Brian e dedicati alla Saga di Jack e Stephen. Un tuffo nella storia della Gran Bretagna durante le guerre napoleoniche, ma anche del modo di vivere degli inglesi di quel tempo. Mi sono emozionato nel vedere il mio scrittore preferito; di lui avevo visto solo delle foto. Approfitto per ringraziarlo delle centinaia, direi migliaia, di ore di ottima lettura che mi ha regalato. E se esiste un aldilà, lui sarà sicuramente nel suo mondo, fatto di uomini coraggiosi, di interminabili cacce sul mare, di tempeste e onde ciclopiche o calme piatte. Grazie Maestro, riposi in pace fra i suoi eroi.
What a fascinating man, and an excellent interview. A true shame we lost him. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve read his books. It’s a bi annual thing for me.
Have to say I've read the series (in paper trim, ha!) four or five times and I'm now enjoying them again through Kindle. He is a wide ranging, expressive and quite unique writer that we will not see again for a while. In the late 1980's and through the 1990's, and having been severely bitten by the bug, it was maddening to have to wait a whole year for each new book. Especially so, given that each new book would be read in less than a day ...
We ran noise-suppression and EQ on the recording to improve the original sound. What you hear now is better than what's on the tape. We'll be working next month to transcribe it and add caption to the UA-cam video.
@David Vazquez Half-wits. Never did it. As expected.
@@robertdurham1857 You have to turn on the subtitles. They are there.
@@JohnyG29 Thank you for the hint kind sir. By our suggestion you have made it possible for my aging mind to comprehend this interview without undo further or continued struggle. Sadly, at present, I fear my ears, or the failure of same, has effected an inability to hear the video as presented. At my not yet great age of 61, due to cannon fire below decks, damage done during a youthful fulfillment of patriotic, or dare I say, in the modern sense, "civic duty". At present I live in relative silence unless interrupted by the rare visit of various assorted sea birds upon my station, or music masquerading as fine art by sailors produced and performed by men more qualified and certainly more competent than I. Despite my elderly afflictions, I declare upon my word, to be your humble servant now and always, Signed, Affectionately, muchmorecoffee
Thank you so much for this!!!
Just read The Golden Ocean and you are entirely correct. The man was a Master Storyteller, a Bard, a weaver of narrative beyond any other modern writer of Naval Fiction. All pale into mere shades before him. He has single-handedly ruined my enjoyment of almost any other work of fiction I read, as all will ineffably fail to match his work for erudition, style, natural humour and, above all, humanity.
Well said, well said.
Amen
Yeah but have you read 50 Shades of Grey?
@@yukoncornelius5014 haha!
aSkepticalman, I totally agree about the ruination of other fiction works
I have come late to O`Brian; having purchased all 20 completed Aubrey/Maturin novels in March of this year, I am now on the penultimate one, for the 6th time of reading the series, in November.
Most other books that I try are discarded ,although there are some of about the same chronological era ,but not seafaring ,written by a British Author Sarah Woodhouse which I enjoy .
I am now reading "The Wine Dark Sea" and this is probably the 14'th book of his I've read. I love them all and I am a passionate admirer of O'Brian. I also have his bio on Joseph Banks but have not yet read it. So many times when I've completed another book I raise up my thoughts to the heavens and bless his soul. He has brought endless joy to me. Happy 100'th birth year to this master writer.
I found using headphones helps to hear Mr. O'Brian better.
I have read ALL of the books 7 times. I'd like to knock this moderator on the head. He must be reading from a list of questions provided by the members- always a guarantee of mediocrity.
The historical fiction is spectacular- but the REAL value I find is the insight and commentary on human behavior and relationships- ships at sea are pressure cookers for people in that they cannot escape each other and emotions are amplified. O'Brian is better than any college course of study in Psychology.
Add to that the priceless use of historical language and medical philosophy and I'll make no apologies for reading all 6500 pages 7 times straight through.
I have read them three times and after watching this and some other interviews will be reading my Norton Collected Works once more :)
Thankyou exceedingly for having afforded us this glimpse into the authors' character!
thanks for posting indeed
thank you for this,it was a real joy to hear Mr O'Brian's reading at the end of this video.
I imagine that he would identify more with Stephen, while he would have liked to have been more like Jack.
God bless your soul Patrick
We're glad you enjoyed the video. We have but only one recording of this event on a VHS tape in our archive. As nerinaodistre commented, Patrick O'Brian's audio is not clear, owing to the poor condition of the recording. If anyone possesses a better recording of this event, please contact us.
From personal experience he was likely so very drunk that speech itself was a challenge. He may have been a great writer, but as so many great artists are, a deeply crude and troubled man.
A legend. Not the chattiest of fellows though, bless him.
he must utterly confound Americans..
William Waldgrave was a British government minister between 1981 and 1997 and is now a peer of the realm. Shows you how well connected Richard P. Russ was. I suppose that should come as no surprise given that his life remains shrouded in some mystery, particularly his time with British intelligence during WWII (and possibly after it). He's a bit like Ian Fleming or John Le Carre in some ways, although he reminds much more of George Smiley than Le Carre!
But thank the Lord for Patrick O'Brian, R.P.Russ's greatest invention!
Very surprising the Patrick O'Brian agreed to such a long interview in public. But it is excellent that here we can actually see and hear him in the flesh now that he has passed away.
Thanks for this :)
Thank you so much for the captioning! I often struggle to understand higher-quality audio than this, and this video would have been impossible for me if it weren't for the well-made captions. A much better experience than UA-cam auto-captions as well: grammatical, done by a captioner who has the relevant vocabulary and knowledge, and has the grace to say "[inaudible]" instead of just disappearing when speech is too unclear.
I didnt know what to do when i finished "21" and was happy to find solace in this interview!
How would Jack have handled it? Squared his shoulders, the piratical glean in his blue eyes flashing once again, walked tall outside and remarked .. "prodigious fine day!".
wow amazing upload, thanks
Mary. ,why did he change his name...the surname OBrien does not have an a.the Christian name Brian does.
I have yet to read a book by POB that takes me from one side of the world to the other. He is truly a scholar and superb story teller. If there is any man who wishes to example him in either literary or real life experience he will be met with a swift execution or pitiable death.
what?
@Europa H2O Alien POB= Patrick O'Brien
I love Mr. O'Brian's books but have to wonder what he would make of dear old England today in 2023.
I read all the books but hearing Patrick Tull read Patrick O'Brian was a true revelation.
Ric Jerrom is better.😃
Man, what a coup. How they managed to get P O'B in the room is astounding.
the host did not know he was going to be host till hours before. Scary stuff. Great job. he could not have done better.
A far better writer than a speaker
O'Brian was a very private man. In this interview he reveals a bit more about himself than in a documentary (also on UA-cam) filmed earlier, where he really played the Sphinx. Some day, a committed O'Brian fan with the time likely will delve into the archives and the data-mining resources of our age to come up with a decent biography which reveals much more about him. Not least, such a biography will test the theory that he was a British secret agent in southern France (where he later lived) during WW II. By now, I suspect the MI-6 files for that era are pretty accessible.
I'm done with POB and sea fiction for a long time. I'm going to save them for my later years and for when I understand more of the technical aspects of sailing and the history of that period. I did not finish the last book, so I have something left. POB knew his history, but I have much to learn.
It's in these time that I realise I much we couldn't live without HD anymore. It's pitiful that so much great moments were only recorded in a tiny 720x480 blurry window. Our kids will have 8k tv's. So much the better!
As for the sound, a little EQ job would help...
Not at the moment. We will pull the original tape from the archive soon and attempt to transcribe and add captions to this video.
Five years later, captions would be much appreciated! The automatic Yahoo ones are ridiculous.
Great!
I'm on book number #16 I'm addicted
I wish there was a transcript of this interview. I can grasp only a small percentage of what O'brian is saying
I have the whole series and I am reading The Far Side of the World. What will I do when I finish them am? Read them again, I guess.
Notoriousjp - You will read them again. And enjoy every circumnavigation as much as the last.
Yes you will. 😀.
@@taylorw I'm now on my 2nd trip through them. Just as good as the 1st time.
A film adaptation was not his thing, but I think Master and Commander is quite impressive.
Fuck I would have liked to get PO'Bs signature on a book!
Why not more questions about his character development and how he came to view women so favorably in his works.
@Shaun Hollomby Patrick O'Brian was not his real name. His true name was Richard Patrick Russ. I'm not sure why he adopted a pen name, but he worked in military intelligence before he became an author, so I'd wager it had something to do with that.
He had a "complicated" relationship with his father and they were not on good terms. The name change was part of a radical break from his past.
A good number of authors go by a pen name. One reason, is so they can write for more than one publisher, simultaneously. Writers by nature, are an introverted lot, too. They create a world, and we're lucky to get a peek inside.
Abandoning his wife and children to run off to France with another man's wife may have been a reason.
Perhaps its more a question of not understanding his accent at a slightly lower volume? While Canadian, I grew up watching British television and have no issues with understanding Mr. O'Brian.
And I might add that I thought the movie was really good, but no that I have read the series, I'd say it was so-so. Russell Crowe was good, but a big fat Englishman would be better for the part. Jack was a big guy.
The poor show host is an ant beneath a giant. O'Brian makes many references he hopes/assumes a man of the interviewer's status may or might understand at least in context to build upon his next statement and the poor host is clueless and gives a deer-in-headlights stare. I do hope Patrick continued with the hope that at least someone in the audience had some sort of comparative understanding of his references.
Is there any transcripts for this available online?
The titles say he is English, when I thought he was an Irishman?
Irish like Wilde...
+Walkertongdee At least Wilde was actually born in Ireland!
O'Brian was English I believe.
Terrible sound on O'Brian. I gave up listening.