Austen Citing Index

Jane Austen Society of Australia

Austen citing: H H Asquith, PM of Britain, 1909–1916

Margot Asquith in her memoirs, Off the Record (1943), wrote about her husband, HH Asquith, Prime Minister of Britain, 1909-16:

Asquith made a sharp difference between business and the rest of life, and … treated politics strictly as business. Nearly all politicians like talking politics; Asquith preferred literature or history for simple amusement or at least something that was not ‘shop’.

Arnold Toynbee had just returned,… bringing with him a copy of the Turkish ‘National Declaration’, which was not yet known in England. We thought Asquith ought to see it, and I took it round to him... He was reading Jane Austen; but took the Declaration and commented upon it point by point… He ran through all the demands of the Turkish leader, made comment with accurate knowledge on each one; then put the paper down and began to talk about Jane Austen.

Deb Williams

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10 June 2002

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