Desert Island Texts
Professor Harold Short is retiring after 15 years as Director and Head of the Centre for Computing in the Humanities (CCH) at King's College London. Under the banner of CCH Harold was an instrumental voice in the establishment of the Subject Centre. We would like to thank Harold for his pioneering work in the field of Digital Humanities and salute his success in building his department from the bottom up. As Technical Research Director in a large number of collaborative research projects, generating over £20 million in research funding, Harold has been highly influential in the development of ICT in the Arts and Humanities both nationally and internationally. We wish him well on his desert island...
Tom Stoppard, Arcadia No Shaw, Synge or any of a dozen current or recent playwrights? Stoppard would be in my list anyway, but this play is particularly resonant in its exploration of the intersection between science and culture, embodied in the life of Byron’s daughter Ada Lovelace who is the likely inspiration for Thomasina Coverley in Stoppard’s play. (Lovelace is regarded by some as the first ‘computer programmer’ for her work with Charles Babbage.)
George Polya, How to Solve It This was an important book for me not only for its practical approach to problem-solving, but in helping me understand that questions are much more interesting than answers and process more important than product, principles of considerable significance in my thinking about the Digital Humanities. (If I could smuggle in some books of mathematical puzzles I would certainly do so, to keep the mind alert!)
C J Sansom, Dark Fire There are any number of proper works of historical scholarship I’d like to include. What I’m choosing, however, is an example of historical fiction, with the imaginative licence it offers to the author, who must nevertheless carry out real research. In this case, the setting – London – and the period – 16th Century – are of particular interest.
John le Carré, Smiley’s People I read a lot of crime fiction, and might have included Dashiell Hammett not only for his pioneering crime novels with their presentation of the complexities of ‘truth’, but also his defiance of Joseph McCarthy. So I’m also drawn to the more subtle possibilities of espionage fiction, and must include le Carré. I’d prefer to take The Complete Smiley – though not as compressed for Radio 4 – but have settled for the last of the Karla trilogy.
Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit Some nineteenth century fiction of course, but how could I survive without Eliot, Austen, Hardy, Trollope, …? It was in part through Dickens in my very British colonial education that I came to ‘know’ London before arriving here 38 years ago, and subsequent re-reading of his work became a personal project affording great pleasure. This novel because of its associations with areas of the city I know well.
William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury Faulkner speaks to the southern US part of my heritage, and his novels were important in helping me come to terms with the racism embedded in this legacy, its parallels in the racist society in which I grew up, and the humanity somewhere beneath that may yet provide hope in the darkest of times and circumstances.
Alexander McCall-Smith, The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency For my final choice – if possible I'd like the whole series! – I must declare a personal interest, the author being a friend since student days. I’m including him nevertheless for his sympathetic portrayal of a part of the world important in my life, and for the gentle humour and sheer humanity of his writing.
WordPlay • Issue 4 • September 2010 51