The massive surrounding walls, built so as to take advantage of natural rock formations, now towered above us, and the spiky frillwork along the top suggested that at one time it had been a Turkish fortress […]

There is a final, internal aesthetic twist to these navel-gazings: translation is an enjoyable occupation.

Humbert Humbert, their author, had died in legal captivity, - - - And I have toyed with many pseudonyms for myself before I hit a particularly apt one. There are in my notes Otto Otto and Mesmer Mesmer and Lambert Lambert, but for some reason I think my choice expresses the nastiness best.

Wales claimed their first points in Euro 2012 qualifying with a morale-boosting victory in Cardiff over former Group G joint leaders Montenegro.