Untold Stories - Alan Bennett

Advantages: Compendium of short autobiographical stories, insights into plays, theatres and actors.
Disadvantages: Diaries can get a little tedious. Lectures not well illustrated.

...And just like an annual, Untold Stories was published in readiness for Christmas in October 2005. Alan Bennett was diagnosed with cancer in 1977 and thought he was dying when he gathered together his works for the book. In his final story of the book, “Another Rock Bun” which details his illness from his feelings on hearing the diagnosis through to his current state of remission, Bennett explains that he “had no wish to travel or to see exotic parts ...
...nosiness! Naturally, Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories would have to contain some stories about the theatre, actors, television and radio. My favourite chapters being The History Boys (a play and a film I have yet to see – but am now determined to soon) and one on Thora Hird which is very very touching. In 1993, Alan Bennett was made a trustee of the National Gallery for whom he gave two lectures which he includes in the book. In one lecture, Bennett ... Read review

Advantages: A collection of writings by Alan Bennett.
Disadvantages: Some parts may not be to your taste.

Four years ago I read Alan Bennett's "Writing Home". It was a collection of short writings, his "Lady in the Van", excerpts from his diaries during the nineteen eighties, notes on his plays and some short pieces to finish with. It was all topped off with some decent black and white photos which linked neatly with the text. I found the book enjoyable, but not overwhelmingly so and concluded that it had been published with the intention of making the ...
...wouldn't buy another like it. It reminded me of a large suitcase into which everything gets stuffed. There's no accounting for gifts though and that was how I acquired "Untold Stories", published in October 2005 - just in time for the Christmas market. There's an important difference with this book which makes it far superior to "Writing Home". In June 1997 Alan Bennett was diagnosed as having cancer and given only a 50/50 chance of survival. He ... Read review

Advantages: Will last you a long time! Entertaining, humourous, and poignant.
Disadvantages: Not a quick read.

...of Bennett's life. Sections include: Untold Stories; Written on the Body; Seeing Stars; Diaries 1996-2004; Theatre & Plays; Radio & TV; Art, Architecture and Authors; and Ups & Downs. Another useful feature of the book is an index - many keywords which feature throughout the book are noted with page references for easy referral. People, places, and motifs are included. Alan Bennett - Untold Stories ISBN: 0-571-22831-3 Faber and Faber; Profile ... Read review

Advantages: Charming, witty, often beautifully written
Disadvantages: Painful exposure of family secrets

The book is overwhelmingly a portrait of its author in his now familiar persona: doddering old buffer, buddy of Cook and Miller et al, liberal and proud of it, kind but gruff old codger, etc. etc. Could it be that this collection, written, or collected, in the shadow of a cancer diagnosis is the one which stretches the reader's credulity just a little too far? Are we finally tiring of Bennett and his tales as we grow less fond, and perhaps more searching, ...
...to say disloyal, in the author's detailed descriptions of his mother's decline into senility, his rendering of her illness as an amusing series of anecdotes, when he himself has written of her hatred of publicity, notice, undignified personal exposure? She was a woman, he never tires of telling us, who liked to keep to herself, who feared the neighbours knowing her business, who kept family secrets. If Bennett is as old fashioned as he keeps assuring ... Read review

Advantages: Funny at times, sad at others, a friend in a book
Disadvantages: None

This is an interesting and open autobiography by one of Britain's gems. If you are a Bennett fan, it's a must buy, if your not sure what all the fuss is about, read it, and you will understand why people fall in love with Mr.Bennett's writing. The book is written in sections, an amalgamation of more recent writings and earlier ponderings on why things happen the way they do. Mr.Bennett is candid about his family history, and I was taken aback by ...
...father's lack of emotion and openness. It is both poignant and hilarious in it's observations of others as well as Mr.Bennett's own musings. As a Bennett fan from my introduction to 'Talking Heads' while still at school, I have found 'Untold Stories' a fascinating insight into the everyday world of our most observant playwright. In our modern celebrity culture, 'Untold Stories' is a breath of fresh air. ... Read review