Is peace breaking out?
From Sheridan Morley Sir: Given that Toby Young and I have not been the closest of friends (and for that I admit I am half-responsible), I was enchanted by his thoughtful letter last week (3 April). I know well, as Noel's literary executor and authorised biographer, the property Toby writes of, and, believe me, there is nowhere I would rather live and work, even if, as Toby says, I am only to get the garden shack. What's more, when Toby and his wife and baby come to stay in our shack, I could be an excellent in situ guide to Coward out in the midday sun. I might even manage to persuade my darling wife, Ruth Leon, herself a drama critic for LBC and the Wall Street Journal, that Jamaica is the place for our old age.
We have just one little problem: in my experience, the Jamaican Tourist Board is not open to such projects, especially not from London drama critics seeking their place in the sun. If, however, Toby is as powerful out there as he implies (and I once asked an ex-Jamaican premier, without much success, for exactly such an arrangement), then I would be deeply grateful if he could get me the job, and even forgive him for taking mine at The Spectator.
Sheridan Morley
London SW11
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