“History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.”
— Julian Barnes, English, writer, novelist, from “The Sense of An Ending”
art, English, novelist, writer
“History… the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.”
Art of Quotation 
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Perfect summation. I think most historical records should be taken ‘with a grain of salt’. History… we have an idea, but really not a clue.
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Stephen, completely agree…. as I have aged I have come to understand how spot on this statement from Barnes is. It makes no difference if it’s the past or it is now that is being presented to us – it’s always through the eyes and values of the one telling the story, writing the book and so on. Do have a productive week and know I greatly appreciate the perfection you present on your beautiful blog. – Douglas
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