The journals of Canadian diplomat Charles Ritchie have long been regarded as standards of the genre. In the words of George Woodcock, "The classic memoir has been presented in the three beautifully written volumes of Charles Ritchie's journals, showing that from the rich experience of a Canadian public servant, literature can be created."    The Siren Years, the first volume of Ritchie's valuable record, won a Governor General's Award in 1974

The siren years: Undiplomatic diaries, 1937-1945

Biographies & Memoirs

Ritchie, Charles

Arts & Literature

Macmillan

The Siren Years: a Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945

Historical

Macmillan of Canada

An appetite for life: The education of a young diarist, 1924-1927

The Siren Years, A Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945

Charles Ritchie’s first volume of diaries, The Siren Years, created a sensation when it was published in 1974. Besides winning the Governor General’s Award for Non-fiction, it was hailed by reviewers on both sides of the Atlantic. An Appetite for Life, his second volume, first published in 1977, deals with his youth in Halifax and his career at Oxford—the years when Charles Ritchie turned from a callow, blundering youth into a callow, blundering young man. As these diaries show, Charles Ritchie had a sharp eye, a keen ear, a highly developed sense of the absurd, and—despite his unhappy knack of landing flat on his face —a thorough “appetite for life.” This is not only a hilariously funny book, but it presents a vivid picture of two worlds—Halifax and Oxford in the mid-twenties—that are now long gone. It also introduces us to an astonishing range of characters, but the most astonishing of all is the young Charles Ritchie himself.

An Appetite for Life: The Education of a Young Diarist, 1924-1927

MCCLELLAND STEWART

Charles Ritchie, one of Canada’s most distinguished diplomats, was a born diarist, a man whose daily record of his life is so well written that it leaps from the page. In wartime England, Ritchie, as Second Secretary at the Canadian High Commission, served as private secretary to Vincent Massey, whose second-in-command was Lester B. Pearson, future prime minister of Canada. In a perfect position to observe both statecraft and the London social whirl that continued even during the war, Ritchie provides a fascinating, perceptive, and (surprisingly) humorous picture of the London Blitz – the people in the parks, the shabby streets, the heightened love affairs – and the vagaries of the British at war. There are also glimpses of the great, and portraits of noted artists and writers that he knew well. A vivid document of a period and a wonderful piece of writing, The Siren Years has become a classic.

The Siren Years: A Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945

In his first book, The Siren Years, the public was introduced to Charles Ritchie as a young diplomat serving with the Canadian Embassy in wartime London. In Diplomatic Passport, we follow his career as he climbs the rungs of the diplomatic-service ladder – as an advisor to the Canadian Delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1946; as a Counsellor at the Canadian Embassy in Paris, where his friends celebrate Ritchie Week – to the city’s surprise; as Assistant, Deputy, and Acting Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs in Ottawa; as Canadian Ambassador to Bonn, where he finds himself reciting Little Red Riding Hood in German at a state dinner; and as Permanent Ambassador of Canada to the United Nations.

Diplomatic Passport: More Undiplomatic Diaries, 1946-1962

History

In the fourth volume of selections from his delightfully wise and witty diaries, we see Charles Ritchie, the seasoned (but never stuffy) diplomat, in his last two major postings – as Canadian Ambassador to Washington and as Canadian High Commissioner to London. Full of anecdotes rather than briefing papers (was JFK really “shooing” the new Canadian ambassador out of his office?), Ritchie’s diaries are at their amusing best.

Storm Signals: More Undiplomatic Diaries, 1962-1971

With an Introduction by Allan Gotlieb One of Canada’s most distinguished diplomats, Charles Ritchie was also a born diarist. Now, for the first time, Ritchie’s diplomatic diaries are collected in one complete volume, covering his entire career in the Canadian Foreign Service. Ritchie creates a startlingly vivid and perceptive portrait of daily life at the centre of major historical events, including one of the finest accounts of the London Blitz ever written — the people in the parks, the shabby streets, the heightened love affairs. Ritchie’s life was a whirl of high-society engagements, and he turns his dry wit and irreverence to the social scene. Evocative and compelling, these diaries beautifully portray a forgotten era.

Undiplomatic Diaries: 1937-1971

Leaders & Notable People

Stoddart Pub.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ritchie, Charles. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Ritchie, Charles

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ritchie, Charles. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The siren years: Undiplomatic diaries, 1937-1945

The Siren Years: a Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945

An appetite for life: The education of a young diarist, 1924-1927

The Siren Years, A Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945

An Appetite for Life: The Education of a Young Diarist, 1924-1927

The Siren Years: A Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945

Diplomatic Passport: More Undiplomatic Diaries, 1946-1962

Storm Signals: More Undiplomatic Diaries, 1962-1971

Undiplomatic Diaries: 1937-1971

An Appetite for Life: The Education of a Young Diarist, 1924-1927