Forbes's points
Sir: How unkind of Anthony Gilbey (Let- ters, 14 June) to visit the shortcomings of A. N. Wilson on the head of Alastair Forbes. Clearly he does not get the point of either.
Ali's point, of course, is that he has so many, and manages to compress most of them into articles that appear to consist of a single sentence of cathedral-like struc- ture, which if translated into stone would make Baroque seem wanting in invention.
He does it speaking, too. Never one to hold back, Ali entered fully one day last week into the spirit of one London club where you are expected to talk to your neighbour whoever it happens to be, and conducted a simultaneous multiple con- versation with the entire luncheon room. Like a chess master taking on all corners he put the ex-ambassador right about the pronunciation of Chernobyl, told another that Churchill would not have agreed with him, admired my shirt, and yet contrived to weave the whole into a single theme centring upon an unpublished anecdote about Duff Cooper — all the while laughing at his own jokes till the tears started from his eyes.
I hope there'll be some of them in this week's Spectator (see page 16), I'll be happy to explain them to Mr Gilbey.
Nigel Ryan
4 Cleveland Square, London W2
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