Writing Home | 
 enlarge | Author: Alan Bennett
Publisher: Picador
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy New: $6.68
You Save: $13.32 (67%)
New (22) Used (14) from $6.67
Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 119290
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 688
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 0312422571
Dewey Decimal Number: 790
EAN: 9780312422578
ASIN: 0312422571
Publication Date: May 2, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Multiple copies available. Remainder mark. No other marks. Nice clean copy. Tight binding. Cover VG. Shelf 86
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Product Description
Bringing together the hilarious, revealing, and lucidly intelligent writing of one of England’s 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 Bennett’s 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Writing lessons November 19, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If there is a spark of humanity in you read this book. Alan Bennett was part of the satire boom in early 60's in the UK and when neccessary has a caustic dry wit that can catch you by surprise sometimes. However for me what comes through in this book is his humanity.
The first section of the book where this is highlighted is his address at the funeral of Russell Harty, which only amounts to 7 pages. Harty was a successful TV show host and interviewer in the UK, who was hounded by the press in the 1980's over his sexuality (he was homosexual and never tried to hide that fact). Bennetts address is full of compassion and will either leave you crying or plotting a nasty end to some of the gutter press.
'The Lady in the Van' is a full chapter (45 pages) and a completely true story. At one point it was available to buy as a seperate book and is taken largely from his diaries. In the 1970's and 1980's outside Alan Bennett's own house in Camden, London, an old lady (Miss Shepherd) lived in a Van in the street. After a time the local council decided she could no longer stay on the street. Amazingly Bennett allowed her to move her Van into his garden and there she remained until she died. This is truly a remarkable story. Bennett of course is a marvellous observer of people and there is a side of me that says he only did it so that he could watch her. However read 'The Lady in the Van' in full and you are left in doubt that Alan Bennett couldn't have done it for that reason, because Miss Shephard's living conditions were frankly disgusting and the smell.. well enough said. Its a truly moving and poignant story.
The diaries constitute a major section of the book amounting to 180 pages. These cover the years 1980 to 1995. There is a section of prefaces to plays as well as articles on writers and filming. These other sections of the book are of the same high standard of writing as the two I mention above, if not all on quite the same emotional level.
Great reading! July 21, 2006
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
For those Americans who have never heard of Alan Bennett and are wondering wether or not to get this book...I say go for it. But if you're looking for something exciting you may be disapointed. Mostly subdued, sometimes hillarious stories of a life. Don't miss "The Lady in the Van"!
There is a God, after all. December 12, 2005
20 out of 22 found this review helpful
In this country, I look for the least sign of God. It might be a dawn, the sound of music, laughter of an old person, giggling among my grandchildren, the prospect of the end of Bush's term, the golden silence of tv turned off, my wife's loving voice telling me to take out the garbage, take out the dog, take her out to a movie...and Alan Bennett's "Writing Home". What pleasure there is in this book. If you are literate and do not own it, reflect on what in your life has brought you into your miserable condition.
Unbelievable February 25, 2005
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
It is unbelievable that I'm the first person to review this fantastic book. The book itself is also unbelievable in its intelligence, wit, depth, color, interest, and sheer genius. Alan Bennett is one of the rarest minds of the 20th/21st century. If you're a real reader and you don't have this book, you damn well better buy it.
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