Celebrity [1950]

Russell delivered this witty address, probably extempore, to a Foyles literary luncheon at the Dorchester Hotel on 30 November 1950. Since the 1930s he had been a frequent guest at these events hosted by the London bookseller Christina Foyle, although he probably declined as many invitations as he accepted. The purpose of this particular gathering, the 223rd, was to launch How to Be a Celebrity by Milton Shulman (1913–2004). On 26 May 1950 this Canadian film and theatre critic for the London Evening Standard interviewed Russell for the short profile that would accompany twenty-seven other portraits of famous people in his new book. Shulman’s breezy survey of Russell’s claims to fame covered some storied episodes of his personal and political life and recounted the landmark intellectual achievements. The following quotations are interspersed throughout the portrait, which was preceded by a caricature of Russell by the political cartoonist Vicky (see Plate XIV).