John Mortimer

It is with sorrow I read the news of passing away of John Mortimer, the author of many popular books of fiction. But what I remember most about him, is for the creation of the characters, Horace Rumpole and his wife, She who must be obeyed. Rumpole of the old Baily is a wayward genius of a lawyer, fond of cheap wine and cigars, who firmly believes in defending the petty criminals and keeping them out of jail. This he does, as he believes, by doing so, he is preventing them becoming major criminals. That his wife doesn’t share his views and how they manage to get along is another interesting part of these stories.
Over the years I have read and reread these stories and continue to enjoy reading them. Mortimer has written many books and plays but I found his Rumpole books are the best of his works.

Compliment?
He came to see me after ten years. These ten years he has been seeking help with some one else. I have stopped worrying about those who leave me for better medical pastures but I still am curious to know why they did leave me in the first place and more so why did they come back. I get some interesting answers, but what this man said took the cake. He said,’ an old enemy is better than a new friend!’