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The Journal of a Disappointed Man

Name: The Journal of a Disappointed Man
Author: W. N. P. Barbellion

by W. N. P. Barbellion

A young naturalist with multiple sclerosis describes his life and love of nature.

Themes: Memoir · Nonfiction

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A boy just past thirteen opens his notebook and records the day he first saw a barn owl, the day he built a hut in the woods, the day a kitten was born. He writes with the certainty of someone who believes the world is an endless treasury of wonders. But this diary belongs to a man who calls himself disappointed. So: where, in all this delight, does the first hairline crack appear?

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Opening

A few passages to enter the atmosphere.

Part I: At Home

Part I

At Home

The journal begins when its author is a little over thirteen years old. The following are selected entries.

1903

January 3

Am writing an essay on the life-history of insects and have abandoned the idea of writing on “How Cats Spend their Time.”

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The Journal of a Disappointed Man