Last week, I ran into an old friend at the library. I hadn't seen, or even thought of him, for at least twenty years; but it was as if no time had passed since last we met.
My friend's name is Horace Rumpole, English barrister. He's the creation of John Mortimer, and the 'Rumpole of the Bailey' stories have given me hours of entertainment.
I'd been looking for Walter Mosely's Devil in a Blue Dress, which happened to be out. Mortimer was shelved just to the left, and I grabbed a handful of old Rumpole, instead.
Rumpole.
I've often said that no one writing in the English language is better at naming characters than Charles Dickens (yeah, I know, Shakespeare wasn't bad, either.) Just think of Pip, or Scrooge and you know who they are. Old Fezziwig is the very embodiment of yuletide cheer. But Rumpole, now. Rumpled, gruff, portly; certainly a major-league wiseass. It's all in the name.
If you haven't figured it out, he comes highly recommended. The stories are witty and sometimes hilarious.
John Mortimer's Rumpole stories are collected in some of the following:
Rumpole of the Bailey
The Trials of Rumpole
Rumpole for the Defense
Rumpole's Return
Rumpole and the Golden Thread
Rumpole's Last Case
Rumpole and the Age of Miracles
Non Rumpole books include:
Paradise Postponed
Summer's Lease
Titmuss Regained
There are many more than I've listed. Good Reading.
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