Synopses & Reviews
Bringing together the hilarious, revealing, and lucidly intelligent writing of one of Englands best known literary figures,
Writing Home includes the journalism, book and theater reviews, and diaries of Alan Bennett, as well as “The Lady in the Van,” his unforgettable account of Miss Shepherd, a London eccentric who lived in a van in Bennetts garden for more than twenty years. This revised and updated edition includes new material from the author, including more recent diaries and his introduction to his Oscar-nominated screenplay for
The Madness of King George. A chronicle of one of the most important literary careers of the twentieth century, Writing Home is a classic history of a life in letters.
Review
“[A] wonderful book, the wit of which spills over even into the index....Theres so much here...[Bennett] is angry, hilariously self-pitying and he writes beautifully.” —
The Times (London)
“Delightful.” —Time
“A classic performance.” —Times Literary Supplement
“Brilliantly perceptive...If anyone wants to define the distinctive Englishness of English writing, they can find it all in this book—modesty, irony, self-deprecating wit, and supremely good observation.” —Daily Telegraph
“The book [contains] perhaps the funniest piece ever written about the theater...marvelous, marvelous, marvelous.” —The Independent
“Irresistibly well written, wry, witty, every sentence a pleasure...Humane, observant, and sharply intelligent.” —Sunday Time
About the Author
Alan Bennett is a renowned playwright and essayist, whose screenplay for T
he Madness of King George was nominated for an Academy Award. He is also the author of T
he Clothes They Stood Up In and
Writing Home. He lives in London, England
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction: In a Manner of Speaking
Past and Present
The Treachery of Books
Leeds Trams
Not History at All . . .
Uncle Clarence
Dinner at Noon
Russell Harty, 1934-1988
Innes Lloyd, 1925-1991
Peter Cook, 1937-1995
The Lady in the Van
Postscript
Diaries 1980-1995
Prefaces to Plays
Forty Years On and Other Plays
An Englishman Abroad
The Wind in the Willows
The King and I
The Madness of King George
Filming and Rehearsing
Forty Years On
A Day Out
The Writer in Disguise
The Insurance Man
Books and Writers
Gielgud's Achievements
Cold Sweat
Bad John
Instead of a Present
The Wrong Blond
Kafka at Las Vegas
Comfortable Words
Alas! Deceived
A. E. Housman, 1859-1936
Stocking Fillers
Tit for Tatti
The Pith and its Pitfalls
Say Cheese, Virginia!
Christmas in NW1
Going Around
Acknowledgements
Index