
Just another lonely cliff plunge
The BBC recently serialised NW by the very talented Sadie Smith, and I was interested to read that she can’t bear to keep copies of some of her books in her house. Hallelujah! Sadie and I have something in common. It will be no shock for you to learn that I too have a strong feeling of detachment, even loathing, of everything that I’ve published. So why do some authors feel this way? Well, it’s a bit like being the parents of a Barnacle gosling. You have to encourage your po