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Brunette Coleman was a pseudonym used by the poet and writer Philip Larkin (1922–1985). In 1943, toward the end of his time as an undergraduate at St John's College, Oxford, he wrote several works of fiction, verse and critical commentary under that name. The style he adopted parodies that of popular writers of contemporary girls' school fiction, but the extent of the stories' homoerotic content suggests they were written primarily for adult male titillation. The Coleman oeuvre consists of a completed novella, Trouble at Willow Gables, set in a girls' boarding school; an incomplete sequel, Michaelmas Term at St Brides, set in a women's college at Oxford; seven short poems with a girls' school ambience; a fragment of pseudo-autobiography; and a critical essay purporting to be Coleman's literary apologia. The manuscripts' existence was revealed to the public when Larkin's Selected Letters and Andrew Motion's biography were published in 1992 and 1993 respectively. The Coleman works themselves were finally published, with other Larkin drafts and oddments, in 2002. Critical reaction was divided. (more...) Recently featured: Poppy Meadow – Stephen Trigg – Aries Archive – By email – More featured articles...
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From Wikipedia's newest content: ... that while manganese-bearing vesuvianite has been studied since 1883, manganvesuvianite (pictured) was not described until 2002? ... that 2012 British Olympic heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson missed most of the 2010 season with jumper's knee? ... that Steve Hogan, the Republican mayor of Aurora, Colorado, was the Democratic congressional candidate who ran against Republican and Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert? ... that Kaila McKnight, a 1500 metres runner for Australia at the 2012 Olympics, spent three months competing overseas before the Olympic qualifiers? ... that the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party came to power in the 8th of March Revolution? ... that cricketer Brad Hodge has the highest batting average and the best bowling average among Kochi Tuskers Kerala players? ... that, as a child, 2012 Olympic triple jumper Amanda Smock believed she would one day be an Olympic gymnast like Nadia Comăneci? ... that the studio of Java Pacific Film was located in an old tapioca flour factory? Archive – Start a new article – Nominate an article

In the news
American author and playwright Gore Vidal (pictured) dies at the age of 86. American swimmer Michael Phelps breaks the record set in 1964 by Larisa Latynina for the greatest number of medals won at the Olympics. A power grid failure in India leaves 20 states in the country without electricity, affecting 600 million people. A train fire kills 32 passengers on the Tamil Nadu Express in Andhra Pradesh, India. Fighting intensifies in Aleppo, Syria, as the Syrian Armed Forces launch an attack to regain control of the city. The Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympics is held in London. Olympics summary – Wikinews – Recent deaths More current events...
On this day...
August 2: Raksha Bandhan (Hinduism, 2012); Day of the Republic in the Republic of Macedonia 461 – Unpopular among the senate aristocracy for his reform efforts, Roman emperor Majorian was deposed and executed five days later. 1830 – His hand forced by the recent July Revolution, Charles X of France abdicated the throne in favor of his grandson, Henry. 1876 – American lawman Wild Bill Hickok (pictured) was murdered during a poker game in Deadwood, Dakota Territory. 1932 – At the California Institute of Technology, Carl David Anderson proved the existence of antimatter when he discovered the positron. 1980 – A terrorist bomb exploded at a railway station in Bologna, Italy, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. 1990 – Iraq invaded Kuwait, overrunning the Kuwaiti military within two days, and eventually sparking the outbreak of the Gulf War seven months later. More anniversaries: August 1 – August 2 – August 3 Archive – By email – List of historical anniversaries It is now August 2, 2012 (UTC) – Refresh this page

Today's featured picture

The town hall of Großbottwar, a town in the Ludwigsburg district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The town sits within the Neckar River basin and is located on a tourist route through the Württemberg wine region. It was founded sometime during the mid-13th century by an alliance of prominent families. Unlike most towns in the region, Großbottwar was neither heavily damaged by war nor by urban fires, so there are many old buildings from the 15th through the 17th centuries with the original timber framing. The town hall itself is noted for its half-timber construction and decoratively carved façade.

Photo: Felix König

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