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"Nicholas Meets Barrington" tells the story of a mid 20th century young life that blossoms into diplomacy at the tail end of Imperial Britain. Coming from a conventional middle class family, Nicholas Barrington made his mark as a diplomat in a series of postings ending as High Commissioner in Pakistan. In these fascinating memoirs, Barrington describes his childhood during World War II, his family background, his education at Repton School, his two years doing National Service in the army and his time at Cambridge where he earned a first in Law. Readers are introduced to a vast array of characters with whom a diplomat of Sir Nicholas's standing would have crossed paths. What emerges is an engaging account a colourful life with multi-faceted interests, including a love of art, antiques, poetry and amateur dramatics. The author explores the stresses of balancing a rich range of experiences with the demands of life in the foreign service with amusing stories which humanise the experiences of diplomacy and international politics. As befits a diplomat who describes himself as 'a classic dilettante', the story is told with frankness and wit.
List of contents
PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PART I Chapter 1 Starting at the Beginning 1 Chapter 2 Repton. The Big School 12 Chapter 3 A Salutary Spell in the Army 19 Chapter 4 Multiple Options in Cambridge 25 PART II Chapter 5 Three Foreign office Postings 40 Chapter 6 First Tour in Pakistan and a Plum Job in the Private Office 52 Chapter 7 Japan, Hanoi and London Again 62 Chapter 8 The Riches of Egypt and Tensions in Tehran 71 Chapter 9 Under-Secretary at Home via New York 84 Chapter 10Ambassador in Islamabad 93 Chapter 11Travel in Pakistan 105 PART III Chapter 12Home at Last, Cambridge 116 Chapter 13Activities in London 128 Chapter 14Winding Down 145 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS APPENDIX Piccadilly Sermon INDEX
About the author
Sir Nicholas Barrington was a career diplomat for 37 years prior to his retirement in 1994. He has served in a variety of posts overseas including Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt and Pakistan, where he ended as High Commissioner. He also served in Japan and Brussels. His home postings included three and a half years as a private secretary to two British Foreign Secretaries. In retirement he has been active in building bridges between East and West. He is the author of "A Passage to Nuristan" (I.B.Tauris), an account of his travels to remote areas of Afghanistan in the 1960s.
Summary
An engaging account of a colourful life with multi-faceted interests, including a love of art, antiques, poetry and amateur dramatics. The author explores the stresses of balancing a rich range of experiences with the demands of life in the foreign service.
