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An Image of the Times

AN IRREVERENT COMPANION TO BEN JONSON’S FOUR HUMOURS AND THE ART OF DIPLOMACY

Here is a witty and learned literary excursion into the world of humour and comic literature as revealed inter alia by the works of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Oliver Goldsmith and Henry Fielding – leading in the second half of the book to many entertaining insights and observations provided by author’s extensive experience in the world of diplomacy. An Image of the Times is a rich and fascinating mix of literary idiom, the theatre of the absurd and the comic element of the human condition.

Importantly, it does speak to the difficulties and dilemmas facing today’s diplomatic missions as much as it has ever done - the necessary dance between reality and pragmatism, how the art of diplomacy often hinges on the quality of humour brought to bear in any particular context. As such, this thought-provoking text by retired Norwegian ambassador Nils-Johan Jørgensen could be said to offer a clever bridge between history, literature and diplomacy, creating a fascinating link between his prime sources and the world of the diplomat.

COVER ILLUSTRATION:

Hans Holbein the Younger, The Ambassadors. Reproduced courtesy the National Gallery, London

RENAISSANCE BOOKS

978-1-898823-17-9