“Waking this morning out of my sleep on a sudden, I did with my elbow hit my wife a great blow over her face and nose, which waked her with pain, at which I was sorry, and to sleep again.”

 

The Assassin’s Cloak opens with the banality of daily life from Samuel Pepys’s diary in 1662. It is quite appropriate to place Pepys fi rst in the anthology, considering Pepys was one of the fi rst famous diarists. Celebrated for his observations during the Restoration period, Pepys’s diary not only gives us witness accounts of big events such as the Great Fire of London, but also the petty events that occur in everyday life. These small details are what make The Assassin’s Cloak compulsive reading.

 

Laid out like a diary, featuring diary excerpts for each day of the year, the anthology comprises of the thoughts and aspirations of 170 diarists from varying eras and backgrounds. From the comedian Kenneth Williams to the politician Tony Benn, the reader is treated to a feast of private words. It is much more fun than just being the fly on the wall, for reading the true inner-thoughts of a person is a guilty pleasure. It is amusing to read snippets of historical writings and be reminded that trivial annoyances are universal - “I dined at the Chaplain’s table upon a roasted Tongue and Udder. N.B. I shall not dine on a roasted Tongue and Udder again very soon.” (Rev James Woodforde, 1763).

 

These diarists are not just recording their defining moments or their raison d’être in dramatic monologues; instead we gain access to their thoughts: bemoaning their ailments, lamenting the government, fearing violence and going about their daily activities. The smallest of moments can reveal a lot about a person.

 

Here artist Andy Warhol exposes his vanity and vulnerability- “It was a beautiful day. Walked on the street and a little kid, she was six or seven, with another kid, yelled, ‘Look at the guy with the wig,’ and I was really embarrassed, I blew my cool and it ruined my afternoon. So I was depressed.” 1983 Diaries give writers the freedom to be candid; to share their darkest fears or romantic feelings. Warhol’s entry is simple but memorable as a sad and humiliating moment.

 

It is important to remember that not all these diarists were professional writers; the anthology features politicians, artists and royalty, so some entries are straight to the point and without artistic fl air. And quite rightly so, for not every event calls for imaginative zeal. Having said that, French writer Anais Nin is famous for her beautiful, often erotic style of writing.

 

Her diary entries are romantic and display her attention to detail. Nin’s writing shows a love for the sensual and her ability to fi nd beauty in simple things. - “We dreamed together on that quiet and soft afternoon, sipping chocolate and nibbling cakes and turning now and then to look at our little white boat rocking on its chain...

 

The leaden sky turned the lake’s water black, and on this deep, black, undulating surface, swans languidly fl oated.”(1925). Such a variety of diarists is a treat for any reader, especially since the anthology does not fail to deliver a strong choice of excerpts. As the editor says; “All human life is here. But not every diarist. Some are excluded because they are dull...others because they are not dated.” The Assassin’s Cloak is an inspiring read, and I’ve chosen to re-read the anthology, one day at a time over the course of a year. It is the perfect book to pick up and muse over from day to day, and unlike my personal diary, there are no blank pages.

 

Review by Catherine Niven