[book review]The Queen's Conjuror by Benjamin Woolley

[inulro]

This is a biography of John Dee.

It's reasonably well written, and a nice easy read for non-fiction, but I found it infuriating in parts, mainly because the author skips over the subjects I'm most interested in.

I have to admit I really didn't know much at all about Dee before I read it, and the Elizabethan is not a period I've been all that interested in since I was about 14.

The book is successfuly in making the points that Dee was a great scholar and quintessential Renaissance man (or even an early Isaac Newton), and a central figure at the Elizabethan court. Because his posthumous fame mostly had to do with the "actions" with Edward Kelley (which make up the bulk of the book), he was written off as a black magician and in the course of the 18th and 19th centuries was written out of the standard histories of the Elizabethan court. I learned a lot about the state of learning in England at the time (far behind that of the Continent, of which I was not aware), and mathematics (Dee started out as a mathematician) was viewed with suspicion, akin to magic. The Renaissance was a lot less rational time than we usually think of it today.

Where I was left infuriated was around Dee's middle period travels in Europe - the book goes into detail about his first trip to the Low Countries, and of course the last residence in Krakow and Prague with Kelley, but the chronology at the back goes on to list things that he did on the continent which were not mentioned in the narrative, including attending the coronation of a Holy Roman Emperor. I would have liked more detail about Dee's place in Walsingham's spy network (he did pioneering work in cryptography), but it's entirely possible the evidence isn't really there. Finally, there is one sentence dedicated to his 10-year internal exile in Manchester, which I'd really like to know more about.

I was left with the feeling that John Dee should really be written back into Elizabethan history, but that this was not the book to do a very good job of that rehabilitation.

I also got the feeling that there's a Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle-type novel (or series thereof) in the subject matter, but I'm not going to be the one to tackle it.

I've now finished all the library books I'd foolishly taken out just before I went to Fantasycon, so now that Ramsey Campbell collection can jump the queue.

Comments

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Peter Ackroyd did "The House of Doctor Dee", which used the real Dee as a jumping-off point for a spooky story in two time periods. And also the main male character in Clive Barker's Imajica was very obviously based on Dee.

But a really good fact-based novel (or two)? I'd definitely read that.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

I recently read "The House of Dr Dee" and was therefore disappointed to find that he never really had a place in Clerkenwell. I was less disappointed in House of Dr Dee than I have been in most of Ackroyd's work, but it really loses coherence at the end.

A lot of characters in a lot of books, plays & cinema are based on Dee, but always on the occult side, and I'm more interested in the politics & spying stuff.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I can fully understand that.

Wasn't it Elizabeth I who first created the secret service under Walsingham? They never taught us about that at school - if they had I might have been better at history, because all this "imagine you're a farm worker in 16th century Norfolk" crap really put me off.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I'm glad they only taught us about my particular corner of the world in school - it left me to find the rest of the world fascinating.

And yes, it was Elizabeth & Walsingham who started the secret service - and had a lot to do with new developments in cryptography, as well as the threat from the Catholics at home and abroad.

[gothwin.livejournal.com]

I've had the Queen's Conjurer sitting on my shelf for ages now...must get round to reading it.

After reading your last few posts I bought a Ramsey Campbell compilation...read just a bit of one story, and so far VERY Lovecraft.

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Some bits are Lovecraft, but the primary influence in his work is really M R James.

[a-carnal-mink.livejournal.com]

I bought and read The Queen's Conjurer a few years ago and from I remember, I basically agree with your review. I was intrigued by the throw-away mention of Alister Crowley believing he was the reincarnation of Edward Kelley! :)

I'm fascinated by the Elizabethan spy network, I must admit. I got another book earlier this year called The Elizabethan Secret Service by Alan Haynes, but his writing style doesn't exactly lend itself to making me want to keep reading. Huuuuuuuge run-on sentences and the like. I get distracted from the facts by mentally punctuating and editing the damned text!

[gothwin.livejournal.com]

I've not read any M R James as yet...recommendations?

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

"The House of Doctor Dee" really disappointed me. I loved the concept and think he could've done much more with it than just a lax retreading of what he'd already done in "Hawksmoor".

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

Any edition of his collected ghost stories, really.

And you should seek out the DVDs of the 1970s BBC productions of his stories. Michael Hordern in "Whistle and I'll come to you" is fab.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

The only novel of Ackroyd's that hasn't grossly disappointed me is Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem. The rest all have great premises & go nowhere (haven't read Hawksmoor yet, and probably will some day despite my misgivings).

His London biography is pretty fab, but it's full of all the obscure details that I love.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Any and all - there is not that much.

[gothwin.livejournal.com]

found a £1.99 collection on amazon - so will probably go for that.

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

I wasn't too impressed with "Dan Leno.." on the whole as I knew, factually, where he was lifting a lot of the plot devices from and, as a result, found it entirely predictable... That said, the music hall sequences were beautifully written.

My favourite Ackroyd novel is "First Light". It's an immense read; full of genuine depth, humour and emotional resonance. I also really rate "Chatterton" and "Hawksmoor" though.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

"Chatterton" is the one I was really looking forward to, and found most disappointing. I can't remember why, but I did read it when I was doing the PhD in Romamtic poetry.

[mimmimmim.livejournal.com]

That's the only one I liked.

I wanted to hurl Milton In America across the room - it bore no relation to the complex man Milton was, and just made him out to be some sort of shallow hypocrite.