Geoffrey Wheatcroft’s diary: Peter King, terror hypocrite, and the joys of Longhorns

As we landed at Houston, I suddenly thought of my first visit to America, in 1965 during what we didn’t then call my gap year. Forty-eight years does seem a long time, but my fascination with this country is undimmed. The occasion of this trip was to talk at the British Studies seminar at the University of Texas, which has become a regular gig over the years, and Austin is now a nest of old friends. This time I made a new pal. Holly McCarthy is a graduate student, who became my cicerone, offering to take me across Austin on the back of her motor-scooter. After a deep breath, I cheerfully accepted. Really, it’s much the best way to see the town.

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David Butterfield

Most-read 2024: Decline and fall – how university education became infantilised

With all my American friendships and happy professional connections, on every visit I think yet again of what G.K. Chesterton