Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Untold Stories

I got a lovely Christmas present from my children – a Sony Reader. Since you are reading this blog you will doubtless know that this is a device for reading e-books. I have long been a fan of e-books despite a relentless barrage of ridicule from all and sundry. But of course, here as elsewhere, I was merely ahead of my time…

Anyway, I’m absolutely thrilled with my Sony and have just recently downloaded Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories. I don’t think Bennett could write a dull sentence even if he wanted to, and as far as I can tell he is always totally honest. When he talks about his shyness, the words come racing off the page with an intensity and accuracy that is quite breathtaking. He doesn’t just hit the target, he hits the bull's-eye.

One is tempted to say that Bennett is a genius and leave it at that, but, as with a very different sort of person, George Orwell, his work is the result, or culmination of, infinite pains as much as of innate talent.

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