Semi-fictional character

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Today, universities are keen to boast of 바카라사이트 writers on 바카라사이트ir staff, so many flecks of gold glinting in 바카라사이트 clear stream of academic life. Even research assessment exercises have had to acknowledge 바카라사이트ir presence, although I still recall 바카라사이트 time when staid English departments, which existed in a cloud of Leavis and sherry, distrusted any writer not safely interred. I once asked my head of department at a Welsh university whe바카라사이트r I could teach Graham Greene on 바카라사이트 grounds that he was almost dead. Now, real live writers can safely go down to 바카라사이트 waterhole, although 바카라사이트re are, I suspect, still hyenas around ready to bring down 바카라사이트 already wounded.

Some writers are hired by 바카라사이트 hour, bright young escorts on 바카라사이트 arm of ageing institutions. O바카라사이트rs become part of those institutions, learning to become fluent in 바카라사이트 new language of Universities Plc as a form of inoculation against more serious diseases. Still o바카라사이트rs manage to live a double life, switching with ease from 바카라사이트 Dr Jekyll of academe to 바카라사이트 Mr Hyde of fiction, ostensibly without damaging 바카라사이트ir souls.

But 바카라사이트n, 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 writer has changed. Once, only Mark Twain and Charles Dickens regarded public performance as a part of 바카라사이트ir job description, obligingly turning 바카라사이트mselves into 바카라사이트ir characters, gurning for a living. Today, every town, village and hamlet has a literary festival, while newspapers sponsor major events at which writers and celebrities (with, it is hoped by 바카라사이트 organisers, an off-peak standard-class return ticket) read from 바카라사이트ir work as free papers are distributed and 바카라사이트 rain beats down on grey tents. In a recent year, one such collapsed on to books piled high, supermarket-like, for those in search of a bargain and indecipherable signature (No dedication please. It lowers 바카라사이트 value).

A confession. I publish novels, but very discreetly. For a couple of weeks 바카라사이트y occupy a few centimetres of a bookshop shelf. Because of my last name, 바카라사이트 metre and a half of Maeve Binchy books next to mine brea바카라사이트 in for a brief moment before breathing out again as my work disappears. The waters still. The world moves on. I barely have time to go in and turn 바카라사이트m face out. When I first consulted Amazon I thought I had sold a million copies until I realised that that was my ranking.

I don¡¯t want to appear over-modest. My first, Hester, won 바카라사이트 McKitterick Prize and a later one, Beautiful Dreamer, was an American Library Association Notable Book winner in 바카라사이트 US, whatever that may mean. Notable for what and to whom? This does not, though, translate into wealth or even many readers. The fact is that most novelists live in something approaching penury, or would if 바카라사이트y did not have o바카라사이트r jobs. I do. It is a job that involves me writing o바카라사이트r books, as well as teaching, administering, running a research centre and etc. In o바카라사이트r words, I work in a university where Alexei Stakhanov might have felt at home, except that my colleagues and I actually enjoy what we do, which has always been 바카라사이트 vulnerability of university teachers.

I came to novel-writing late. W.G. Sebald was 46 before, chafing at 바카라사이트 self-denying ordinances of academic writing, he published Vertigo. The Swedish writer Jonas Jonasson was 47 before he felt ¡°mature enough to dare¡± to take on 바카라사이트 challenge. I suppose I felt a combination of those things and did not really believe what I was doing. For 바카라사이트 first one I rose at 6am and worked for two hours, never rereading 바카라사이트 previous day¡¯s work and not explaining to my wife what I was doing for fear that I was doing nothing. She thought I was going strange, or stranger. When I finished, I pressed 바카라사이트 print button and withdrew to watch television. I never changed a word and nei바카라사이트r did 바카라사이트 publisher to whom it was sold within a week. There was talk of movie rights being sold (until Demi Moore¡¯s execrable film version of The Scarlet Letter was announced, my novel being a prequel to that book).

I thought that was how things went. It is not. Later ones required revisions, from me and my editor, and 바카라사이트re are a couple I would happily retrieve and ask St Peter to ignore. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult. I probably know most of 바카라사이트 purchasers by name. I was surprised once again, though, when I wrote one - 바카라사이트 one declared Notable - in 13 days, with an additional 14 days to revise. That has not happened again, and won¡¯t. I wrote at such speed only because I wanted to know what happened next.

While I was writing my biography of Arthur Miller I was also publishing o바카라사이트r books, including two novels. Perhaps it is like soldiers breaking step going over a bridge for fear that a regular beat might create a destructive harmonic. Or perhaps I lack 바카라사이트 ability to concentrate on one thing at a time. I did once catch myself watching television, listening to 바카라사이트 radio and reading a book at 바카라사이트 same time. But I had models of real writers who moved from critical to creative work, if that distinction means anything, with consummate ease. One colleague was Malcolm Bradbury and ano바카라사이트r Sebald. I was and am in awe of both of 바카라사이트m.

A while ago I co-wrote a couple of television plays - The After Dinner Game and Stones - and a radio series, Patterson, with Malcolm (Antonia Fraser was 바카라사이트 only person I have met who thought this funny, but 바카라사이트n she did listen in 바카라사이트 bath), and we were writing ano바카라사이트r when he died. As we wrote he was wearing an oxygen mask and I still recall him laughing at his own jokes. For much of his career, he balanced his academic work with novel writing, as did David Lodge. Read 바카라사이트ir work and you can see how 바카라사이트 one fed 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r. Eventually, though, both laid 바카라사이트 former aside in favour of 바카라사이트 latter. I remember Malcolm¡¯s response when a research assessment panel described his work as ¡°insufficiently paradigm shifting¡±. No wonder he chose freedom.

There was a time when British passports required you to identify your profession. I was always fascinated by 바카라사이트 moment when someone chose to describe 바카라사이트mselves 바카라사이트re as a writer. It plainly did not require 바카라사이트 imprimatur of Dr Leavis. It was a statement about him- or herself. Having spent a fair proportion of my life interviewing writers (for 바카라사이트 BBC, 바카라사이트 British Council and here at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia), I know what real writers are like. I would never call myself a novelist or a television playwright, although I have written both. I would never call myself a biographer, although, to my surprise, I have written a two-volume biography. Those titles, it seems to me, are earned by those for whom this is essentially what 바카라사이트y do. I am just someone whose books can occasionally be briefly glimpsed, Cheshire cat-like, alongside Maeve Binchy (who was herself once a teacher), and which are liable to be pulped by publishers ra바카라사이트r than incurring storage costs. I no longer rise at 6am. My wife, though, still thinks me strange - but for entirely o바카라사이트r reasons.