If you haven’t seen it already, let me urge you to check out this wonderful obituary that appeared in yesterday’s Telegraph. One only needs to read the first sentence to feel that you’ve been transported from the obituary page into the realm of the literary:
“Count Gottfried von Bismarck, who was found dead on Monday aged 44, was a louche German aristocrat with a multi-faceted history as a pleasure-seeking heroin addict, hell-raising alcoholic, flamboyant waster and a reckless and extravagant host of homosexual orgies.”
Reckless and extravagant! It’s reassuring to see that there’s still a sense of style in British newspapers. (Not to mention the Piers Gaveston Society.) Be sure not to miss the final line.