Isaiah's charity
Sir: It is natural that the rethinking of repu- tations begins in death. That of Diana, Princess of Wales unaccountably soars while Isaiah Berlin is brought down to earth by your Michael Tanner (Isaiah: a dissenting voice', 15 November). It might be fairer to judge by the overall integrity of the work. Diana tended to publicise her charity; Isaiah privatised his. I can testify to this because as an impoverished undergrad- uate in 1969 I was facing economic expul- sion from my course, which Isaiah was supervising. When I explained my dilemma, he just said, 'An arrangement will be made to keep you at university.' A cheque duly turned up the next week. He wouldn't accept my thanks then but I promised myself I'd make amends later. This seems like a good time to suggest that greatness is about more than semantics or publicity. It obviously extends beyond the question of whether The Two Concepts of Liberty will still be in print a century hence.
Philip Hodson
58 The Pryors, East Heath Road, London NW3
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