Nicholas Meets Barrington

"Nicholas Meets Barrington" tells the story of a mid 20th century young life that blossoms into diplomacy at the tail end of Imperial Britain. Coming from a conventional middle class family, Nicholas Barrington made his mark as a diplomat in a series of postings ending as High Commissioner in Pakistan. In these fascinating memoirs, Barrington describes his childhood during World War II, his family background, his education at Repton School, his two years doing National Service in the army and his time at Cambridge where he earned a first in Law. Readers are introduced to a vast array of characters with whom a diplomat of Sir Nicholas's standing would have crossed paths. What emerges is an engaging account a colourful life with multi-faceted interests, including a love of art, antiques, poetry and amateur dramatics. The author explores the stresses of balancing a rich range of experiences with the demands of life in the foreign service with amusing stories which humanise the experiences of diplomacy and international politics. As befits a diplomat who describes himself as 'a classic dilettante', the story is told with frankness and wit.