Quality counts
Sir: My friend Tom Stacey's first publishing house (he has more loving friends than most, as Taki can no doubt substantiate) was vilely treated by Private Eye, just for the sake of a column or two of malicious and inaccurate gossip (Letters, 9 August). But Tom's wounds were not mortal; he has gone on to achieve mild wealth as a pub- lisher and considerable respect as a novel- ist.
Why then do I and many thousands of others go on reading Private Eye with some pleasure? For voyeuristic reasons, I fear, not dissimilar to my motives for enjoying Taki in 'High life' and 'Attictis', though often disagreeing with him (as I usually do with Tom). For when Auden wrote of Yates that time which . . will pardon Paul ClaudeldPardons him for writing well', this is equally applicable to Taki or even to the scribes of Private Eye!
Graham Tayar
25 Fortess Road, London NW5
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