Overview - David Irving's 2023 Diary (April-September)

What This Diary Reveals

This 650,000-word diary from April to September 2023 provides an unprecedented intimate portrait of controversial historian David Irving in the twilight of his life. At age 85, Irving offers a raw, unfiltered view of an elderly intellectual's daily struggles with physical decline, financial precarity, family tensions, and the relentless pressure to complete his life's work.

Central Themes

The Aging Scholar

Irving emerges as a man desperately fighting against time and declining faculties to finish what he sees as his most important work - Churchill's War Volume III and True Himmler Volume 2. Despite increasing memory lapses, typing difficulties, and mobility problems, he maintains a rigorous daily routine centered on his writing.

Daily Pattern: Rise at 6:30 AM → coffee → shower → "coalface" (writing) by 8:00 AM → multiple bank balance checks → work → bed by 7-8 PM

Financial Desperation

The diary reveals crushing financial anxiety:

• Monthly rent of £2,650 consuming most income
• Storage costs in UK and US draining resources
• Daily bank balance monitoring showing obsessive money worries
• Outstanding debt of $6,000 to his US assistant
• Dependence on book sales and reader donations

Physical and Cognitive Decline

Irving candidly documents his deterioration:

• Memory issues: "I lie awake and worry that this is the beginning of a memory-condition as forecasted by the doctor fifteen months ago."
• Mobility problems: Hip replacement complications requiring walking stick
• Digestive issues: Daily struggles with constipation
• Typing deterioration: Regular complaints about "sloppy" typing

Family Relationships

Complex dynamics with his adult children:

• Paloma (daughter): Primary caregiver, handles practical matters, fiercely protective
• Adam (son): Business-minded, occasionally needs financial help, proposes podcast project
• Jessica (daughter): Distant, rarely mentioned
• Pilar Jr: Invited to visit from Spain

Professional Isolation

Irving operates as a one-man publishing empire:

• Self-publishes through various platforms (Biddles, Lightning Source)
• Relies heavily on US assistant Kathy for order fulfillment
• Maintains customer relationships worldwide
• Battles technical problems with website and payment systems

The Portrait That Emerges

A Brilliant Mind Trapped in a Failing Body

Irving's intellectual capacity remains largely intact - he continues producing detailed historical work, maintains extensive correspondence with researchers worldwide, and engages with complex archival questions. However, his physical limitations increasingly constrain his activities.

Financial Vulnerability of Age

Despite a lifetime of publishing success, Irving faces the economic precarity common to many elderly people. His situation is complicated by the controversial nature of his work, which limits mainstream publishing opportunities.

Stubborn Independence

Even as his capabilities decline, Irving resists accepting help and maintains fierce independence. He drives despite safety concerns, handles complex international business dealings, and refuses to acknowledge the full extent of his limitations.

Continuing Historical Mission

Irving sees his remaining work as historically crucial. He's determined to complete Churchill Volume III and True Himmler Volume 2, viewing these as essential contributions to historical understanding.

Key Relationships

With Kathy (US Assistant)

The relationship with his Florida-based assistant Kathy Despot reveals both dependency and tension. She handles his US operations while he owes her $6,000 from a previous loan. Their exchanges show genuine mutual concern alongside financial stress.

With Paloma (Daughter)

Paloma emerges as Irving's most crucial supporter - handling banking, negotiating with landlords, managing practical affairs. Their relationship shows deep affection complicated by concerns about his wellbeing and future.

With Historical Community

Irving maintains contact with researchers, readers, and archival institutions worldwide. His correspondence reveals both his continued scholarly engagement and his isolation from mainstream academic circles.

Daily Life in Decline

Routine as Lifeline

Irving's rigid daily routine provides stability amid chaos:

• Fixed wake time and work hours
• Multiple daily bank checks (obsessive financial monitoring)
• Regular meals and rest periods
• Consistent bedtime

Technology Struggles

Modern technology creates constant problems:

• Website payment systems failing
• Phone and internet upgrades disrupting communication
• Car problems requiring frequent garage visits
• Computer issues interrupting writing

Social Isolation

Irving's world has shrunk to a small circle:

• Occasional visits to sick friend Bente
• Rare meetings with book dealer contacts
• Family visits from Paloma and Adam
• Virtual relationships with customers and researchers

The Larger Context

Post-War Historical Revisionism

Irving's work represents a particular strand of post-war historical revisionism focused on World War II. His isolation from mainstream academia reflects both his controversial conclusions and the polarized nature of Holocaust historiography.

Aging in Modern Britain

Irving's experience reflects broader issues of elderly people in contemporary Britain - healthcare struggles, housing costs, technological changes, urban transformation ("London is too large and too ethnic now").

Family Legacy Questions

The diary reveals tensions over Irving's archive and intellectual legacy. His children are concerned about proper attribution and financial value of his life's work.

What's Missing

Limited Self-Reflection

Despite the diary's intimate nature, Irving rarely reflects deeply on his controversial career or its personal costs. His focus remains primarily practical - completing work, managing money, handling daily problems.

Selective Disclosure

Some family relationships (especially with Jessica) remain largely unexplored. Irving's romantic life is barely mentioned, and past controversies are referenced but not examined.

Historical Significance

This diary provides rare insight into:

• The daily reality of aging for a controversial public intellectual
• The practical challenges of independent historical research and publishing
• Family dynamics around intellectual legacy and financial responsibility
• The intersection of personal decline and professional determination

Conclusion

The 2023 diary reveals David Irving as a complex figure - neither the heroic truth-teller his supporters see nor the dangerous extremist his critics describe, but an elderly man struggling with the universal challenges of aging while trying to complete work he believes historically important. His determination to continue writing despite physical decline is both admirable and poignant, while his financial struggles and family relationships add human dimension to a figure often seen only through the lens of historical controversy.

The diary's value lies not in resolving debates about Irving's historical claims, but in documenting the lived experience of an aging intellectual whose life's work remains contentious. It offers insights into how controversial figures navigate their final years and how families cope with complicated legacies.

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This diary stands as a unique historical document - a real-time record of intellectual aging, family dynamics, and the stubborn persistence of scholarly ambition in the face of physical and financial decline.