Lady Bracknell: “Are your parents living?”
Jack: “I have lost both my parents.”
Lady Bracknell: “Both? To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
-Oscar Wilde “The Importance of Being Earnest”

This little bit of wit decorates the opening of Christopher Buckley’s new book, titled Losing Mum and Pup: A Memoir.

Mum was Patricia, the social fashion plate, charmer and hostess with the mostest in some time ago New York. Pup was the famous Yalie, William F. Buckley Jr., prolific, conservative writer and intellectual gadfly, scourge of the left.

Here, Chris writes of how he got along — or didn’t get along — with his famous parents, and then how he lived through their both dying within 12 months of one another.   

We revisit some of New York’s most sophisticated anecdotes from the days when so-called society was still in flower. We revisit sailing around the world, sailing through dinners in Manhattan and Connecticut, sailing while arguing the certainties of the Roman Catholic religion (though Mrs. Buckley was a Protestant) and all the rest of it. This book brought to my mind a quote of Mum’s regarding the glories of the autumn season: “Seen one leaf, seen ‘em all!”

I knew and enjoyed both the Buckleys, mere and pere, so I thoroughly enjoyed this – what I’d call a veddy, veddy upper-class kind of memoir. (Pretty soon there won’t be any more “upper-class” men to write this kind of remembrance as we see already that there isn’t any upper class worth mentioning.) We also are treated to hospital and funeral details which seem vital and impressive, if heartbreaking.  


Image: Amazon

The surprise of this memoir is not that Mum and Pup were devotedly loyal to one another, which was a given, but that they were frequently on the “outs” with one another. And Christopher writes that Mum, especially, was given to bending the truth. Now that I’ve read this, I understand much more about the mysterious charms of Mrs. Buckley.

This book is priceless. It brings both of these characters totally back to life. I can just see Pat Buckley, entering a room in gray flannel slacks, high heels, a silk blouse with a cashmere coat hanging off her impressive shoulders, laughing and telling the latest and complaining in her good-natured manner.

And I can see Bill, wrinkling his nose, glancing off to the side, delivering himself of some arcane and impressive quote that left you gasping for air. 

I miss the Buckleys who were indeed the very last of their breed. Thank you for sharing, Chris!

Christopher Buckley will be reading from his book on May 11 for Literacy Partners at Lincoln Center.

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Sacha Baron Cohen has included a sketch in his new film “Brüno” that seems to be poking fun at Madonna’s effort to adopt an African baby. 

Cohen is asked the name of the baby he has adopted in the movie: “I gave him a traditional African name – O.J.”

P.S. Sacha has since “apologized” to his old friend Madonna — she was very much his benefactor/cheerleader a few years ago. And you wonder why stars are often wary in their friendships?

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Those glamorous girlfriends, Miss Cindy Adams and Miss Barbara Walters, have been off on a little pleasure trek together to South America. As you read this, they are singing, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina!”  

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Caroline Kennedy is joining the Literacy Partners group that is reaching for a younger demographic. The Literacy Associates gang meets at Tenjune in NYC’s meatpacking district on June 2. Tickets are only $150 and I encourage  you to join if you have a dime left in your pocket.


Caroline Kennedy © AP

I love how times have changed. It’s a lure now to invite people to join a benefit meeting in the meatpacking district!