Autobiography – 240 pages – my copy (hardback; 2009) a 2009 Xmas present
- 3 nods
As the years have gone by, Alan Bennett has cemented himself as one of the premier writers in Britain: there have been his plays, such as the recently successful The History Boys; screenplays such as The Madness of King George (that’s King George III for us on this Isle!); as well as many other pieces for the page and for the screen, such as the critical success that was Talking Heads.
This volume, gleamed from the larger autobiographical work Untold Stories, concerns itself with Bennett’s childhood, his family and his eventual parting with those around him. He recounts his mother’s insanity, the closely held secret of his grandfather’s death, his own father’s passing, as well as those of his boisterous aunts. As expected with a book full of death, much is mournful: yet Bennett’s purpose here is to breathe life back into his family members. An aim in which he wonderfully succeeds.
In tackling these memories, Bennett is tackling the pain, the angst and the embarrassment of former times. His mother’s bouts of insanity coupled with the saner moments when she strived to be like everyone else; his parents intense dislike of ‘making a fuss’, taking I to the extreme of becoming married without telling those around them and with his father heading straight for work after the ceremony; his mother’s eventual demise in a nursing home, no longer his Ma but rather an empty stranger.
Throughout all, Bennett is able to look back as a person removed from these scenes, yet one who is intrinsically linked. His humour is apparent throughout all, but also evident is his love of his parents. Yes, those same parents who he admits he felt so embarrassed of when younger, their parochial views and ways. Though not a full blown celebration, A Life Like Other People’s is Bennett’s refutation of the discomfited youth he once was. A read for anyone who has had growing pains; a read for anyone who misses those have parted.
