#COlin Dexter

[morse-perez-and-davenport]

Shaun Evans and Colin Dexter attend the Blenheim palace festival of literature, film and music | 27th September 2015

[librawritesstuff]

Happy Birthday to these guys

(TY @too-antigonish for the reminder)

[too-antigonish]

Morse: Fathers & Father Figures

What we learn about Morse's father in the Dexter's novels can seem a bit surprising in light of the way their relationship is depicted in Home.

According to a piece written by fellow author Mike Ripley, however, Dexter was, "...just about the only crime writer I know who has never bitched or complained about television adaptations of his work. He once told me that his philosophy was: “Books is books, telly is telly.” Only he probably put it more grammatically than that."

In Death Is Now My Neighbor, Dexter finally revealed Morse's first name: Endeavour. The chapter in question begins (tellingly?) with the epithet:

They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you. (Philip Larkin, This Be the Verse') 

A bit into the chapter we arrive at a moment where Morse is strolling around Bath with his new love interest, Janet, and the following conversation takes place:

It was late morning, as they were walking arm-in-arm down to the city centre, following the signs to the Roman Baths, that she asked him the question:  'Shall I just keep calling you "Morse"?'. 'I'd prefer that, yes.'  'Whatever you say, sir!'  "You sound like Lewis. He always calls me "sir".' 'What do you call him?'  '"Lewis".' 'Does he know your Christian name?'  'No.'  'How come you got lumbered with it?'  Morse was silent awhile before answering:'They both had to leave school early, my parents - and they never had much of a chance in life themselves. That's partly the reason, I suppose. They used to keep on to me all the time about trying as hard as I could in life. They wanted me to do that. They expected me to do that. Sort of emotional blackmail, really - when you come to think of it.'  'Did you love them?" Morse nodded. 'Especially my father. He drank and gambled far too much ... but I loved him, yes. He knew nothing really - except two things: he could recite all of Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome by heart; and he'd read everything ever written about his greatest hero in life, Captain Cook - "Captain James Cook, 1728 to 1779", as he always used to call him.'  'And your mother?'  'She was a gentle soul. She was a Quaker.' 'It all adds up then, really?' said Janet slowly.  'I suppose so,' said Morse.

This conversation eventually leads to Janet convincing Morse to send Lewis a postcard in which he reveals his first name. The card reads:

"For Philistines like you, Lewis, as well as for classical scholars like me, this city with its baths, and temples must rank as one of the finest in Europe. You ought to bring the missus here some time. Did I ever get the chance to thank you for the few (!) contributions you made to our last case together? If I didn’t, let me thank you now – let me thank you for everything, my dear old friend. Yours aye, Endeavour (Morse)"

Spoiler: It makes Lewis cry.

One last note about Macaulay's Lays of Ancient Rome. The most famous poem from the collection is Horatius. It is quoted twice in Exeunt—first by a don, second and most memorably for me, by Thursday.

"Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the Gate: "To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers, And the temples of his Gods."'

[fanficrocks]

More birthday wishes for Colin Dexter from the Morseverse

Images from various sources including Damien Michael Barcroft's dmbarcroft.com for the James Grout/Colin Dexter photo, and Chris Sullivan's moreselewisandendeavour.com for the Rebecca Front/Colin Dexter photo.

[oeuvrinarydurian]

I am committed.

[bryndeavour]

As a scientist, he had a profound distrust of all such intangible notions as ‘responsibility’, ‘motive’, and ‘guilt’; and as a man he had little or no respect for the work of the police force. There was only one policeman he’d ever met for whom he had a slight degree of admiration, and that was Morse. And the only reason for such minimal approbation was that Morse had once told him over a few pints of beer that he in turn had a most profound contempt for the timid twaddle produced by pathologists.

[sirkassandra]

Right at the beginning of S2Ep4. Hello there, dear conductor

[wellanthropologicallyspeaking]

finally gonna start reading this :”) morse fandom gang let’s gooooooooo

[iainjclark]

New painting! Shaun Evans as Endeavour Morse (acrylics on cold-pressed watercolour block.)

[partywithponies]

I don’t need it. I don't need it. I'm not going to buy it because I don’t need it.

[too-antigonish]

Shaun Evans and Colin Dexter

Which one told the joke?

Forgive the blurry photo. I love it anyway. They are so obviously enjoying each others' company. Evans has always spoken of Dexter with a great deal of respect but also with obvious affection. You can see why.

I was looking up some info on Colin Dexter and noticed that he died almost exactly 7 years ago (21 March 2017).

*If anyone has a source for the photo, I'd love to add it to the post.

[evenaturtleduck]

Me picking up my first Inspector Morse novel: Do not ship these characters do not ship these characters do NOT ship these characters.

The book:

Me: god-fucking-dammit

[oeuvrinarydurian]

Hey, anyone who knows the books and the IM show … I’m trying to write another piece of FF, but I need to know actual canon if possible, and I don’t know either one.

Do we know anything about Strange’s children? How many, how old, what sex…?

ETA— also wondering what the timeframe was for Morse to be mentored by McNutt. Where was he based when this happened? I guess I should really read the books.



Any help appreciated!

[rawyld]

Colin Dexter and John Thaw. The creator and the character.

[most-nem]

(x)

[sirkassandra]

I see you, Dexter ! S2E3