In the second piece of unpleasant news this week, I have to tell you that another friend of Litopia, John Simopoulos, has died.
John was an uncompromising intellectual, as befits a founder of an Oxford college. His bark, and indeed his bite, could on occasion be withering. Not born to suffer fools gladly, he had a knack of exposing the weakness in your logic, or knowledge, or both - with an economy of words that spoke volumes.
And yet, there was always a twinkle in his eye. Even when making you feel like a complete dunderhead – and for a few examples, simply listen to some of the shows we recorded together – his eyes twinkled, his wit sparkled, and his kindly heart was never far away.
I shared a bottle of Scotch with him just a couple of evenings ago. Have you read Austerlitz yet, he asked. No, not yet. What about The Kindly Ones? I’m afraid not, John.
He peered at me owlishly. No words were necessary. I will read both of them - soon, John. I promise.
John’s life was intertwined with several greats of C20th writing: including, of course, Iris Murdoch. Many of the writers he discusses in our shows were known to him personally, which gives his Litopia legacy a unique value.
Born in Vienna in 1923, John was the son of Greek diplomat Charalambos Simopoulos, ambassador to the Court of St James in London. An alumnus of Magdalen College, he was a Founding Fellow of St Catherine’s College from 1960, before becoming an Emeritus Fellow upon his retirement in 1988. As Fellow in Philosophy at St Catherine’s, he was interested primarily in logic and probability. As another Fellow put it, ‘he was never fooled by Philosophy; this sounds to be a little thing. But he was also able to teach others not to be fooled by it either; that is a big thing’.
Sadly, our conversations will be no more. But I am so pleased to think that a very small part of his vast learning and humanity will live on in our shows. I’ve gathered all of them together below: I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoyed recording them with him.
A Tiger Burning Bright
The First Modern Poem
Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street – Mahfouz
The First Trilogy – Joyce Cary
No Name – Wilkie Collins
Death Comes for the Archbishop
If This Is a Man – Primo Levi
The Voices of Marrakesh – Elias Canetti
Remnants of a Quiet Life
The Lessons of Haggis
Austerlitz
The Blue Flower
As Good As Tolstoy
A Time of Gifts – Patrick Leigh Fermor
John was an uncompromising intellectual, as befits a founder of an Oxford college. His bark, and indeed his bite, could on occasion be withering. Not born to suffer fools gladly, he had a knack of exposing the weakness in your logic, or knowledge, or both - with an economy of words that spoke volumes.
And yet, there was always a twinkle in his eye. Even when making you feel like a complete dunderhead – and for a few examples, simply listen to some of the shows we recorded together – his eyes twinkled, his wit sparkled, and his kindly heart was never far away.
I shared a bottle of Scotch with him just a couple of evenings ago. Have you read Austerlitz yet, he asked. No, not yet. What about The Kindly Ones? I’m afraid not, John.
He peered at me owlishly. No words were necessary. I will read both of them - soon, John. I promise.
John’s life was intertwined with several greats of C20th writing: including, of course, Iris Murdoch. Many of the writers he discusses in our shows were known to him personally, which gives his Litopia legacy a unique value.
Born in Vienna in 1923, John was the son of Greek diplomat Charalambos Simopoulos, ambassador to the Court of St James in London. An alumnus of Magdalen College, he was a Founding Fellow of St Catherine’s College from 1960, before becoming an Emeritus Fellow upon his retirement in 1988. As Fellow in Philosophy at St Catherine’s, he was interested primarily in logic and probability. As another Fellow put it, ‘he was never fooled by Philosophy; this sounds to be a little thing. But he was also able to teach others not to be fooled by it either; that is a big thing’.
Sadly, our conversations will be no more. But I am so pleased to think that a very small part of his vast learning and humanity will live on in our shows. I’ve gathered all of them together below: I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoyed recording them with him.
A Tiger Burning Bright
The First Modern Poem
Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, Sugar Street – Mahfouz
The First Trilogy – Joyce Cary
No Name – Wilkie Collins
Death Comes for the Archbishop
If This Is a Man – Primo Levi
The Voices of Marrakesh – Elias Canetti
Remnants of a Quiet Life
The Lessons of Haggis
Austerlitz
The Blue Flower
As Good As Tolstoy
A Time of Gifts – Patrick Leigh Fermor
