From the April 2018 edition of The Oldie magazine, a remarkable podcast interview with the late John Julius Norwich to celebrate the Charmed Lives in Greece retrospective exhibition at the British Museum. John Julius recalls the special life and tremendous spirit of his friend Patrick Leigh Fermor, the man whom John Julius credits with opening up the Byzantine world to him – the subject of his first book on the subject Byzantium: The Early Centuries.
John Julius talks about Paddy’s incredible intellectual curiosity and lightness of touch: ‘All the time you were aware of being in touch with perhaps the most extraordinary man you’d ever met.’
Listen to the interview here.
Adoration of PLF is all nice and well, but using bombastic expressions like ‘King of Greece’ are very off the mark (most Greeks have never even heard of PLF) and unfair to both Fermor and Greece.
Three cheers for The Oldie still keeping the PLF flame alive. Wonderful interview.