"In his sixties, he swam the Hellespont, in homage to Lord Byron--his hero, and to some extent his template."
"Crossing Transylvania alone, Leigh Fermor found himself in forgotten country estates, where 'charm and douceur de vivre were still afloat,' and left with his neck unbitten."
"(In Cairo) Leigh Fermor and a few of his fellow officers, presided over by a certain Countess Sophie Tarnowska, dwelled in a house of glittering and raucous repute: It was called Tara (home both to the High Kings of Ireland and to Scarlett O'Hara)."
(Excerpts from "An Englishman Abroad" by Anthony Lane for The New Yorker, May 22, 2006)
Image: A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor
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