It is with much sadness that I post this announcement. I was told a short while ago that John Graham (aka Araucaria/Cinephile) died during the early hours of this morning. He was peaceful and among friends.
I’m sure our thoughts go out to those who knew him personally. His passing is a great loss to the crossword community but we will never forget the many happy hours spent solving his, at times, fiendish clues.
Edit (Tuesday pm) – Further reading at the Guardian website:
Rev John Graham, aka crossword setter Araucaria, dies aged 92
Araucaria the crossword master: share your favourite clues
I never met John but it feels like I’ve lost a good friend with whom I’ve spent many enjoyable hours.
Goodbye araucaria, and thank you for the all the fun times.
Nothing that anyone can say at times like this is adequate. My heart goes out to John’s family and friends, and my thanks will always be with him for the many hours of pleasure that he gave us all.
Thanks for all those hours and hours of pleasure. You will be missed.
So his last Graun puzzle was indeed his way of readying us for the sad news. Thanks for the memories.
Thank you Araucaria for the great pleasure you have given me over the years. I will miss him very much. My sympathies to his families and friends.
Count me in as echoing everything already said. My heart feels broken today, but the enduring memories will be the sunniest. I expect we all have our favourite clues. I think mine involves chaste Lord Archer vegetating.
Thanks to Gaufrid for passing on this sad, but sadly not unexpected, news. I only met John Graham once, very briefly, but through his puzzles it feels as if I knew him much more closely. A delightful man, whose death leaves the world a poorer place. Condolences to his family and friends.
Oh, what sad news. He set the first clue I remember solving, and “Oo! It’s the Rev!” has been a call of joy for me for as long as I can remember. We were lucky to have him for as long as we did, and I’ll turn to Monkey Puzzles whenever I feel like a dose of wit and pleasant frustration.
So the much-feared event has arrived. So glad the end came peacefully & in good company. Like others, I always felt I knew this man, so that my reaction to his wonderful puzzles was more than just appreciation. We shall miss him sorely. In truly loving memory.
Araucaria personified the Guardian crossword for as long as most of us can remember; we should be thankful that he had such a long life and cruciverbal career. My own favourite long anagram was – Roundhead: “Thy sire flew on a Tuesday?”.
Sad news, indeed. I never met him outside a grid, but like many feel like I’ve known him for years. One of my heroes. RIP.
Once as a present I got a personalised crossword from Araucaria. One of the best gifts I ever received.
It seems strange to feel a loss of someone you’ve never met. But because of the many hours I’ve done battle with the great man I feel like I knew him.
A sad day- his family should feel some comfort, however small to know that he will be missed by thousands.
Sad news. Was hoping to spot another crossword to signal he was still with us. Will miss his wit and skill. Condolences to his family.
Can only echo the words of others. A much-loved and respected crossword pioneer.
Very sad news, even if Araucaria did prepare us for it with customary grace and wit.
It was struggling with Araucaria’s puzzles that got me into crosswords in the first place. I’m truly grateful to him for that, as well as all the many hours of enjoyment he has given us over the years.
Condolences to his family and friends.
R.I.P. What a wonderful gift; to have brightened so many people’s lives.
Very sad news indeed. He gave me hours and hours of pleasure and his puzzles will be sorely missed. My heartfelt condolences to his family.
Thank you Gaufrid for posting this sad news. Like many others here I did not manage to meet him, but I will always be grateful for the immense pleasure he has provided us over the years.
Thank you Araucaria for hours and hours of enjoyment. The humour and the lightness of touch will be the things that I will miss especially.
Rest in Peace.
I have wept at the death of only a handful of people that I have never met but, as so many people have said, there is a special relationship that builds up over the many years between setter and solver [John Graham himself referred to it] and, like so many others, I feel bereft at the loss of a very special friend. As ever, the fact that a death is expected doesn’t make it any easier when it comes.
It’s almost impossible to imagine the prospect of never again opening the paper to see Araucaria’s name on a puzzle, especially on a Bank Holiday, or the preamble, ‘Solutions should be fitted into the grid jigsaw-wise, wherever they will go.’
RIP, dear friend, with much love and gratitude for so many hours of enjoyment.
[There s now an item on the Guardian website: http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/2013/nov/26/araucaria-crossword-setter-john-graham-dies ]
So sorry to hear the news, he left the world with the same style he had used for all those wonderful puzzles.
Bank holidays, with their extended or double grids, will never be the same again. Perhaps he has left us one more for this Christmas? It would be the best present ever.
I feel like I’ve grown up with this man; forty years or so of solving. Thank you, Araucaria, for your life.
I am at a loss for words to fully express my thanks for so many wonderful crosswords over the years and the sadness that I feel now Araucaria is no more.
Sometimes those clues made me laugh out loud, as with the peerless “Poetical scene has surprisingly chaste Lord Archer vegetating (3, 3, 8, 12)”. Thanks for all the wonderful times, Araucaria. You’ll be sorely missed by all of us.
Brilliant man, huge gifyt to us may I say? To me one of he best things thta ever happendd.
Bless you REv John,
Such sad news. But how much richer he made our lives!
It’s terribly sad to hear this news. With his incredible breadth of knowledge, wit and ingenuity, Araucaria has given us so much fun over the years, with solving his puzzles (once a distant aspiration) just becoming more and more rewarding. In particular, I have many fond memories of solving the huge holiday puzzles with my partner and family – something that always brings us together. Many condolences to his family and friends; he will be greatly missed by a huge community of fans like us.
This is a dark day. We have lost a real legend.
I was only lucky enough to meet Araucaria twice and we had only the briefest of conversations, but two seemingly contrasting elements of his character (the former further evidenced in his media interviews) shone through; he was a man of true humility and modesty, but a man with a hugely powerful aura.
Whether we were fans of his style or not, pretty much all of us – solvers and setters alike – must feel bereft. He was a giant, and a gentle one at that.
Just heard about Araucaria.
Had a lovely pub lunch with him once upon a time. Back at his home he dazzled me with his Scrabble tile anagram wizardry.
What a gentle, modest, decent, special man he was.
Thoughts to his family.
Very sad news – the crossword world simply won’t be the same without him.
So sad to read this.
So many of the comments already posted resonate so clearly. We shall never see his like again. We were lucky at least to live in the same era and to encounter his work.
RIP
The sad day I’ve been dreading has come at last. I only met him once but he fully lived up to all my expectations. As so many have said here, you feel you know him so well from the sheer pleasure of solving his puzzles which were always fair, witty and fun.
A genius who should have been master of the universe.
RIP
Trailman is right – I’ll really miss those specials, especially the double grids. But it always lifted my spirits to see his name on the puzzle. I remember from an interview that he clearly valued those around him highly (he seemed to enjoy the company of younger people – one of his secrets?); my thoughts go out to them. Very sad news.
One of the true greats of humankind, RIP dear Araucaria, a beautiful, brilliant mind x
I would not be compiling crosswords today – probably wouldn’t even be bothering to solve them – if it hadn’t been for John’s example. He brought wit and joy to a simple puzzle format, and showed an ideal that I in turn hold up to my students when I tell them that we should strive to say and mean something through our word games.
We have all been touched by John’s generosity of spirit, and it is this, even more than his undoubted genius, that will ensure his benign influence for years to come.
Sadly missed.
There’s not much to add. He was a much-loved great in our little world. The Indy, despite him not being one of ours, has a small piece which also gives this site a mention.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/guardian-crossword-editor-john-graham-dies-of-cancer-aged-92–after-announcing-illness-in-puzzle-clues-8964834.html
No doubt they’ll correct the errors soon.
Such a sad day but I suppose we can’t say he didn’t warn us with “Time to go” last week. As another on here has said, this is one of the few people-I’ve-not-met who I shall deeply miss. Thanks for the many, many wonderful brain-workouts and the kind of clues that make you laugh out loud with utter delight when you actually ‘get’ it.
Not even a year’s warning can soften the blow. An inspiration to at least one generation of setters, and, measured by the pleasure he brought to so many people, a great man indeed.
It’s hard to believe that we’ll no longer be experiencing the thrill of seeing Araucaria’s by-line under a puzzle and already smiling at the prospect, even before we are once more thoroughly bamboozled by his skill and wit.
The thoughts of his enormous extended family go out to his personal one.
Goodbye Araucaria, it was always a joy crossing words with you.
Yes, a giant of the crossword world has departed.
When I read his ‘announcement’ crossword, I constructed a tribute crossword and, not having his email, I phoned and left a message on his answerphone. Within half an hour, he had phoned back although he had no idea who I was and he was very busy (and ill!) – what a gentleman!
A great source of inspiration to all compilers and solvers.
There is not much to add to all the comments that have been posted already. We both loved his alphabetical crosswords.
Our thoughts go out to all his family.
Sad news seems to haunt me this month.
I was actually hoping that things were perhaps improving after seeing quite a few Cinephiles and Araucarias recently.
It wasn’t like that.
As I said on other occasions, puzzles by Araucaria were my gateway to the world of British crosswords.
So, what more can I say?
My thoughts are with all those who knew and loved him.
John Graham’s courage, wit and imagination were all too clear in his farewell puzzles. And a sense of his warmth and generosity. Like others, I found his name on a puzzle aroused immediate pleasure and anticipation – like an entertaining and much loved friend seen just at the garden gate, on his way to my door. I will miss him hugely.
Not a regular Guardian solver, but if I came across an Araucaria puzzle I knew that even if it turned out to be fiendish – often it was not – it would be a good satisfying solve and quite fair. He will be missed.
I cannot remember individual clues, but I’m almost certain that it was Araucaria who set a brilliant Bank Holiday puzzle themed on bell-ringing changes. I loved it. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Araucaria as a crossword setter is that he was the acknowledged inspiration for many of the current generation of excellent compilers. Truly, a legend in our field has gone, but we should be grateful for his legacies both in past puzzles and the future ones he has influenced, to be produced by a new generation of potential legends.
I had the privilege, two years back, of a personal alphabetic crossword for my 70th birthday. My son negotiated with Araucaria who asked for about a dozen words/phrases that could be included It was beautifully done, and my family “wrapped it up” in such a way that I didn’t realise till half way through that it was personal for me.
A year later we were privileged to meet John at the Guardian weekend and I got his signature.
My crossword is soluble from the wordplay (only one answer might require checking from the internet) and I’d be very happy to make it available (with answers hidden). If there are others in the same position we could collect quite a few. It needs someone to collate them and unfortunately I am too busy to lead this.
Farewell.
John would surely not have wanted us to all be lost for words at his passing. I’m deeply upset at losing him, his charm, his wit and elegant lifetime’s work.
Tis surely enough to simply say his final clue really did have resonance for us all:
Awestruck, as is right and proper (4)
We surely were John, we surely were. Thank you.
I can only echo others comments on this very sad occasion.
But two things particular to me.
A couple of years ago I found John’s website, and was fascinated to read of his service of setting personalised crosswords (for a very reasonable fee). I was introduced to cryptic crosswords by my parents, who were always fans of the great man. My mother always said that Araucaria’s alphabetical crosswords were her particular favourites.
Anyway, I hatched a plan to commission such a bespoke crossword as a present for my parents, on the occasion of their ruby wedding – in 2014…
Clearly there were 2 reasons for my sadness when he first gave us his bad news, a year ago.
I wondered what to do. I didn’t want to hassle a man suffering a terminal illness, but nor did I want to miss out on commissioning what would be the perfect present for my mum and dad!
In the end, the closest I got to contacting the great man was in Sheffield one snowy day shortly after hearing that he was ill. I saw a snow-covered Araucaria, and I took a photograph of it, planning to send it to John.
But I never did, and now it’s too late…
My second comment is addressed to George Clemments. I’m fascinated to hear about the bell ringing changes themed bank holiday special, not least because my wife is a bell ringer!
Do you George, or anyone else, happen to know where I could track down a copy of that particular puzzle?
Neil
This news made me feel I had lost a close friend, although I have only ever known Mr Graham through his crosswords. It is sad to see the passing of such a witty, charming and, at times, devilish character.
Rest in peace, John, and may perpetual light shine upon you.
I didn’t realise how sad I would be when the feared news came. I hope his family can take comfort from the enormous fun, joy and admiration he brought so many people for so long. Truly part of the landscape of my life
What a lovely man, and what a sad day.
I feel as if I’ve lost a friend of over thirty years standing, though I never met him.
I can’t add anything more.
I remember wondering how the legendary Araucaria would come across “in person” when he was on Desert Island Discs. He was exactly as I imagined him: modest, amusing and humane. My sadness at today’s news is mixed with gratitude for all the splendid puzzles he gave us over so many years. Truly a giant of the cruciverbal world. Thank you, and farewell.
Yes, terribly sad news, but after the last prize xword had feared this day was coming soon. Had been wrestling with his puzzles for the best part of 4 decades, and particularly looked forward to the alphabetical jigsaws and their rhyming couplets.
Lots of memories from ANC to Archer & much more!
Hope that at some stage there might be an event at which we solvers and setters could meet to celebrate his wonderful life and genius.
I think the first time I realised just how much enjoyment I could get from a crossword was back in the 70s when we had those delightfully testing double grid (A&B) specials for Easter or Christmas. And it was all due to Araucaria, thanks again old man.
He was indisputably the best, and will be sorely missed.
For a man who has passed away sine prole, John still has fathered much.
The many of us who have been influenced by his crosswording brilliance, originality and by his gentle personality, are surely his sons and daughters in some lovely way, and the best of us I’m sure will carry forward the amazing tradition he has engendered.
A long life, too: I think JG enjoyed his time here, don’t you?
Solved my first Araucaria puzzle in 1973 and have enjoyed doing them ever since.
R.I.P., and condolences to his family and friends.
Araucaria is my favorite setter on either side of the Atlantic. I taught myself how to parse British clues by working my way through his “Monkey Puzzles” book. It took me years to get through them all, but no other collection of cryptics has ever given me as much pleasure.
RIP John.
I was lucky enough to meet him about 30 years ago. I had written him a ‘fan letter’ c/o the Guardian, he replied and eventually invited me, a total stranger, to his house for tea and cake. That sums up his kindness.
As for his puzzles, they have brought so much pleasure over the years.It is hard to express how much I will miss them, and the mind that created them.
Eileen at 21 expresses perfectly how I feel about such a wonderful man. I am writing this with tears in my eyes at the loss to us all of this very special person. R.I.P. Araucaria x
I can only echo the comments of Paul B/Neo/Tees @ 57.
It was Araucaria puzzles (in particular his Bank Holiday specials) that inspired me to start setting myself, and I have felt honoured to be a colleague of his on the Guardian team in recent years. Hopefully some of us can carry on the spirit of his example, even if we cannot perhaps hope to reach his level of genius.
I never met John, despite having on a number of times made arrangements to do so – the first time being when I booked to stay at his B&B back in the 1980s, then unfortunately had to cancel. Of course I have still regularly “met” him through his puzzles, and have always enjoyed doing so over such a long period that it is like losing a long-time friend.
He might not quite have made it to the Centenary of the Crossword next month, but I’m sure he will still be there in spirit and in our hearts.
RIP John, the Monkey Puzzler.
I can’t possible add anything to what has been said except that no ther setter ever gave me such a lift whenever I saw his name (whether Araucaria or Cinephile) at the top of a puzzle. I read the news soon after arriving at work this morning and held myself together all day but broke down in tears on the bus home.
I learned of his passing from a Guardian post on my iPhone, and honestly felt it as I have that of few people in my life, all of them with an important contribution to the humanity around them.
Our grief is mitigated by the legacy of his “grandchildren” – Qaos, Philistine, Tramp, et al – his influence on crosswordland is undying.
God bless John graham, R.I.P.
As for so many others, Araucaria introduced me to the depth, wit, imagination and erudition that a crossword could offer, together with the delight at seeing his byline over the years and bank holidays. A lovely man. My condolences to his famiy.
George Clements @46 & Neil @49: I well remember the bell-ringing puzzle from perhaps 25+ years ago. In fact, I had a bit of dialogue here about it a couple of years ago, when another blogger reminded me of its title. Is it possible to search the electronic vaults?
Hugh S: Perhaps it could be re-published as a fitting tribute?
me @ 65: I should add that I have re-forgotten the title of that brilliant crossword: doh!
Very sad, but what a brilliant life and legacy.
Like everyone I am heartbroken at the news. Last saturday’s puzzle warfned us but it is still hard to believe the great man has passed on. So many happy memories. RIP Rev.
one of my favourites clues reason for cancellation at newmarket says noggs still makes mr smile everytime i look at the clue he will be sorely missed rip
Sad news indeed.My heart sank when I saw his latest puzzle. So glad he said goodbye to us all – what a thoughtful person he was.
Goodbye, Araucaria, you are in our thoughts and in our prayers.
Giovanna xxxx
A very sad day, not made any less so by the knowledge that it was coming.
He has been an important part of my life from a very early age. No other setter caused such a lift of anticipation when I realised it was his day in the Guardian, and no other could produce the steady stream of chuckles and ‘ah-hah’ moments in the solving. Somehow his clues always worked better than other peoples’.
He exemplified many of the qualities we are rapidly losing in our dumbing-down world – gentle wit, a well-stocked mind unostentatiously displayed, modesty and stoicism. RIP
May God bless him, and may he rest in peace.
Sad
Rest in Peace, Monkey Puzzle. I shall miss you and your Araubeticals.
Bunthorne was great but Araucaria was the best. I hope they are swapping clues in the blue now. Very sad
Does anyone remember 24475?
Bank holiday special – part araubetical
I said then…
Best advice to all the dzlexix out there, whose comments I nevertheless enjoyed, is to read what you have written, B4 hitting the submit button!
Gone gently into the night.
A treasure chest of innovations left to us all.
I echo what’s been said above. Araucaria was the main reason many of us got hooked on cryptics. I shed a tear when the news broke.
I’ve never met a man so unaware of his own brilliance.
Bless you, John
It has been a great joy to be able to edit and publish John’s Cinephile crosswords in the FT for the past 31 years. Irreplaceable. However, there’s one to go: his final puzzle will appear in the FT on Saturday; also an obituary.
Amazing that I feel so sad at the death of a man that I only met through his wonderful crosswords. Thank you Rev. John Graham for so many hours of enjoyment — RIP
This was inevitable but very very sad news. My heartfelt condolences to his family. He will be missed by all those who knew him, but he will also be much missed by literally thousands of others who never met him but only knew though his puzzles.
I sighed with sadness when I heard the news.
I became a crossword enthusiast and lover through his puzzles in the Guardian in the 70s and 80s and learned so much from him. Thank you and of course all best wishes to his family and friends.
I’ve only just heard the sad news. My first Araucaria was back in the mid 70s so I too am hugely indebted for 40-odd years of enjoying his unique skills. My thoughts go to his family – RIP
A desperately sad day. A genius who gave so much pleasure to so many thousands over many, many years. Rest in peace Araucaria.
His Desert Island Discs appearance for those who missed it (and for those who didn’t): http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/3de332c9#b012f7f3
Very moving reading all of the tributes here. It’s rare indeed that I buy a paper and turn straight to the obituaries, as I did this morning. I think I need to get hold of a book of Araucaria’s collected puzzles as I don’t feel like I tried many of them.
Just to flag up that there was a very touching interview with John Henderson (Enigmatist) talking about Araucaria on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme this morning. You can catch it on the iPlayer on the Radio 4 website: it’s the last piece, around 0855.
Thanks KD.
I found it here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03jb3mx
at about 2:57 (ie hrs:minutes).
I was introduced to the Guardian crossword as a teenager in the early 80s, and it was the Araucaria prize puzzles that drew me in. I was always impressed with his ingenuity with the X and Z lights in the alphabeticals (anyone for xylotypography?).
Christmas just won’t be Christmas without him. The many moving comments here are a fitting tribute.
I am saddened by the news and cannot add anything to what has gone before.
I am cheered by remembering some of his clues and puzzles.
CLEOPATRA was defined as a needlewoman 🙂
One of his double crosswords had the grids not the same as each other. His instruction read (my italics) “You may wonder why the grids are mirror images. The answer will become apparent”. Eventually I remembered that an old name for a mirror is Looking Glass!
I can only echo many of the above tributes. For a good number of extant solvers and setters, whether Ximenean, Libertarian or Araucarian, whether we met him or not, Araucaria provided an an accessible and stimulating gateway (Sil@43’s perfect word) to the world of daily 15×15 cryptic crosswords. PB@57’s second paragraph sums it up just about perfectly. My deepest sympathy to JG’s family and close friends.
I wouldn’t be doing what I do now without Araucaria’s inspiring – and inspired – puzzles. Like so many, I was always thrilled to see his name appear, knowing I’d be entertained and flummoxed in equal measure. I never met or spoke to him, but I feel I knew him. I hope some permanent memorial can be found to honour him and his work.
Always my favourite. Always a challenge. Always a delight. Such a range of reference. Such wit and warmth in the setting. Such a huge loss……. oh, it’s all been said already, I know, but I’m weeping as I type this. Salute the passing of a lovely man.
Can only echo what so many others have said. Such sad news. Thanks to Araucaria for many many years of pleasure – and so true that when the newspaper was delivered the first cry in our house was ” it’s an Araucaria alphabetical jigsaw” ( or giant double – or “there’s a theme” !!! etc etc)
Like a few others I was lucky enough to have a personalised crossword compiled for my retirement gift from work. It has pride of place on my hallway wall. My thoughts are with his family and friends at such a sad time – but what a legacy he leaves. RIP
Like so many others, my spirits always rose when I saw that that day’s compiler was Araucaria, even if I often didn’t get far with the solution. One day, somebody should make a study of how one man could attract so much affection from such a wide cross-selection of the readership. It seems that top-of-the-form Fifteensquareders and strugglers like me all held him in incredibly high esteem and, for the want of a better word, loved him.
The end of an era.
Family and friends would be perplexed and amused when I arrived for Christmas or Easter visits with not only the Araucaria Bank Holiday Special, but also (in the days before ubiquitous Internet access) at least one bulky dictionary in my luggage.
Farewell Araucaria, 35 years of solving pleasure – I will miss you.
For George Clements @46, Neil @49 & nametab @65: Here is our exchange regarding the ‘bell-ringing’ crossword:
nametab PS: Does anyone recall a special Araucaria from about 25 years ago that was based on campanology? It had a long narrow grid with no black squares, and solutions travelling zig-zag downwards (a la ringing changes). I’d like to re-discover it.
me Yes, I recall that crossword. It was called ‘Bob Doubles’. If memory serves, the solutions were entered without vowels (or was it consonants?), and the pattern produced by the solutions followed the ‘blue line’ of one of the bells in the Bob Doubles method of change ringing. I think I came across it once in a book of collected crosswords, can’t remember exactly where though.
nametab Many thanks. Yes, ‘Bob Doubles’ it was now that you remind me (rings a bell [groan]). I’m pretty certain it was entered without vowels. I didn’t finish it, but loved the tussle and A’s imagination.
So many wonderful tributes from the users of this website for a wonderful man.
I will miss this man. Thanks for all the crosswords.
My opinion of John went up even more when I read in this morning’s Guardian that he refused to work for the Murdoch papers. We exchanged a few emails 3 years ago when I commissioned a crossword for the 50th birthday of my nephew (a professional musician). John was absolutely brilliant and as a personal tribute here are 3 of the musical clues:
Instruments – didn’t he remember, did you say? (7)
Runner with number in Seraglio (5)
Creator of operas – do I hear there’s a dog in one? (7)
I’d open the page at the crossword and look for the name of the setter…Araucaria! Yes!
There was a pleasure in solving his crosswords which, I’m afraid, I just don’t get with other setters.
Araucaria’s passing is a great loss. His puzzles, especially the thematic ones, inspired me whilst I was still at school and were the basis of developing my crossword style as a teenager and my approach to cluing. Little did I know then that many years later Araucaria would invite me to take over the editorship of “His Baby”, 1 Across magazine. I owe JG a great deal through his friendship and guidance as I have edited the magazine and his unique cluing style which I have admired since first discovering his puzzles. If my forthcoming Bank Holiday Guardian puzzles compiled under my pseudonym Maskarade prove in some small way to recall his memory and his sheer inventiveness, then I will be so happy. Bless you, John.
A very sad loss. Bank Holidays will never be the same.
Araucaria has been one of the most significant enjoyments in my life. My children even gave me a miniature monkey puzzle tree which still stands six feet tall in our hall. Vale!
Very sad. Araucaria gave me a great deal of pleasure over the years. There is nothing I can add to what has been said. Farewell.
Araucaria was a beautiful friend to me. I shall miss him terribly.
I would not have had the chance to be doing a job I adore without his generosity, counsel and love.
We have grown up with him, punctuating our week with an escape into a magical world of glorious invention, smiles and chuckles.
We must remember him not with sadness, but with joy.
We love you, John Graham.
John Halpern (aka Paul)
I can only agree with previous comments about the nature of the man and the joy of seeing Araucaria’s name by the day’s crossword for the past 35 years or more. Many thanks also for his undoubted influence on the setters whose work we will continue to enjoy for many more years.
Coming rather late to this: I can only say how sorry I am, from a selfish point of view, that I never met him. Although of course as so many would say I think, I felt I knew him through his puzzles, perhaps more so than any other setter I can think of.
I hope he’s even now busy on a special puzzle for his “boss” up there 🙂
Araucaria has been part of our lives for half a century and his going will leave a large hole in our days. Whenever the paper was produced and turned to the back page, to receive the information “It’s our friend” was always the start to a special day.
Araucaria was my mum and dad’s favourite setter way back in the days of the Manchester Guardian, and I was forever hooked.
Driving through Somersham not long ago, I spotted a monkey puzzle tree in the front garden of a neat modest house, and I just knew…… My oncologist, a fellow fan of the great man, confirmed my suspicions…..
Salve atque vale – respect!
Strange to have tears down my cheeks for a total stranger – except that, as others have said, he showed himself, his humanity, wit and erudition, his inventiveness, to us all through his wonderful puzzles.
When there are tributes like these from so many adoring fans, I always hope that he knew while alive how much he was loved and admired.
His last puzzle was so full of warnings (“Time to go”, “Nil by mouth” defined by “no swallows”!), following on from his announcement of his illness in an earlier one, that we were thoroughly prepared – and yet not ready for such a loss.
Time for a collection of some of his greatest puzzles as a memorial?
I’ve only just read about this – it’s odd how personal it feels. I only remember ever feeling this sad once before about someone I’d never met and again it was someone who’d always been there, a part of my life (John Peel). All our lives will be poorer for his loss, but how much richer for having known him
How sad. I hope he knew just how much happiness he brought to people. As so many of these comments say, a day when there was an Araucaria puzzle was a special day indeed. Condolences to his family and friends,
What more can I add? It’s as sad as it was inevitable.
Way back when I used to tackle the Guardian puzzle almost daily and so came across Araucaria pretty much weekly. When I first came across an Alphabetical Jigsaw it amazed me. Not just the construction but the cluing being in rhyming couplets! I was so impressed (and still am) that my one and only published Listener puzzle was titled Jigsaw Alphabetical by Imbricata. I took my name from Araucaria imbricata an early and incorrect name for the Monkey Puzzle tree. The puzzle was a weak re-working of the great man’s theme using the final letters for the jigsaw entries and alliterative pairings of the clues. Pretty tame by today’s Listener standards but symbolic of how important Araucaria was to me then.
It’s interesting that Liz mentions John Peel. I feel very much the same about both of these people. I never met either but they both played a significant part in my life.
Colin
It has taken me days to find appropriate words to express my feeling of sadness and loss, inevitable though the news was.
Today’s tribute cryptic (26,118) finally provided them….
7 10 – 2,23
26 24 12
from a 4 8 19
John Whitworth @95:
having returned to these posts to continue reading the heart-felt and moving accolades to Araucaria, I was gratified to see you had unearthed our previous correspondence (how did you do it, by the way?).
Many thanks indeed.
I promise not to forget ‘Bob Doubles’ again.
Hoping George Clements & Neil return here to see your info.
A large flock he ministered to. We are all forever in his debt.
I’d been thinking I’ve a pdf of said bell-ringing masterpiece, but it seems it has done an electronic runner. Does anyone else have that document?
Grateful if you do!
I visited a friends Dad in Hospital today. He is well into his eighties, and was visibly upset. He has solved the Great mans puzzles for years. But as he said, it could take him a week but that didn’t matter. The sheer pleasure of solving was enough. RIP