Record Number: 29545

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Meeting held at Oakdene, Northcourt Avenue 19.2.32
S. A. Reynolds in the Chair
1. On the minutes of last meeting read, R. H. Robson declared that he had not made love to his own wife that was another "Joseph Surface".
[...]
4 Geo Burrow then gave a short sketch of Ibsen's life, his Father a merchant out of mixed Danish Swedish blood & mother a German — his first play produced at Christiana in 1850, but was not published. He was appointed Poet to theatre at Bergen, which meant being "General Utility" man, thus gaining a general knowledge of the production of plays - for being refused a Poet's pension he left Norway for Italy & afterwards moved to Munich. In 1891 he returned to Christiana.
5 A reading followed from "The League of Youth" a satire on politicians. the scene chosen being one in which various attempts to get Bratsberg's support for one of his financial schemes & on being rebuffed, threatens to [2 un-deciphered words] by disclosing his son's forgery of his name on a bill.
The cast were:—
Bratsberg F E Pollard
Monsen R H Robson
Ringdal G Burrow
Fjeldbo H. R Smith
Erik C. E. Stansfield
Salma [i.e. Selma] Mrs Robson
Thora Dorothy Brain
Lundestad A. Rawlings
Hejre E. B. Castle
[...]
7 Readings from Act I and Act IV of The Wild Duck were then given by:—
Werle F E Pollard
Gregers R H Robson
Hjalmar [Halmar] H R Smith
Gina Mrs Robson
Hedwig [Hedvig] Dorothy Brain
Riddell [sic] C. E. Stansfield
[...]
9 C E Stansfield added a note about Peer Gynt which was written in Italy during 1866/67 — a poem written recklessly[?] describing his own youth — a genial philosophical pascal[.]
10. A general discussion followed'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

19 Feb 1932

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: Oakdene, Northcourt Avenue

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

George Burrow

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Members of the XII Book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

George Burrow

Title:

[A short sketch of Henrik Ibsen's life]

Genre:

Essays / Criticism, Biography

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

29545

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Sylvanus A. Reynolds

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 3 (1931-1938)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

23-25

Additional Information:

These minutes written by Sylvanus A. Reynolds, deputising for the Secretary in his absence. Source: Minutes of following meeting, 22 March 1932.

Citation:

Sylvanus A. Reynolds, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 3 (1931-1938), private collection, 23-25, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=29545, accessed: 22 November 2024

---

Additional Comments:

Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).