Tales of a Grandfather

‘I was born into a time you now study at school as history…’

First conceived as a personal memoir to give his grandchildren – all born in the 1990s – some sense of what life was like two generations earlier, Brian Kitson’s Tales of a Grandfather has a resonance beyond its familial origins.

Readers can follow Brian’s colourful progress from his earliest years to his mid-twenties, through a wartime childhood, disturbed family relationships, postwar Cambridge undergraduate life and National Service in Counter-Intelligence. Brian also discusses his great love of different kinds of music, including his unusual experiences as the pianist in a jazz ensemble.

Written with the same detail, intelligence and wit as his previous book, Burberry Days (also published by Austin Macauley), Brian Kitson’s Tales of a Grandfather is a fascinating portrait of a time, a family and a man.

„M-am nascut intr-o perioada in care studiati acum la scoala ca istorie ...” Conceputa mai intai ca un memoriu personal pentru a le oferi nepotilor sai - toti nascuti in anii 1990 - un anumit sentiment al vietii cu doua generatii mai devreme, Povestile unui bunic de Brian Kitson are o rezonanta dincolo de originile sale familiale. Cititorii pot urmari progresul plin de culoare al lui Brian de la primii sai ani pana la jumatatea anilor douazeci, printr-o copilarie de razboi, relatii de familie tulburate, viata universitara postbelica din Cambridge si Serviciul National de Contrainformatii.