But tradition dictates that he must go Home - to England - to be educated and to spare him the risk of childhood diseases. By the time he is four-and-a-half, Edward is a wild child, speaks fluent Mandalay and has the run of the jungle neighbourhood. Sadly, Edward’s mother dies a few days after giving birth, so he is left in the care of his father, an indifferent, emotionally cold man mired in grief (and later alcohol), who pays him little attention. The latter is an acronym for Failed In London Try Hong Kong.Įdward was born in India during the glory days of the British Empire - his father, Captain Feathers, was the District Officer of Kotakinakulu Province in Malaya. The old man is Sir Edward Feathers, who is also known as Eddie, the Judge, Fevvers, Teddy and Old Filth. The central subject - a rich old man reflecting on his life in the judiciary - might seem rather staid and dull, but in Gardam’s hands it is a moving and often witty portrait of a complex and hugely interesting character. Fiction – paperback Abacus 260 pages 2009.įirst published in 2004 and shortlisted for the Orange Prize in 2005, Jane Gardam’s Old Filth is one of those novels that is a delight to read from start to finish.
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