2 APRIL 1988, Page 24

Can't write, won't write

Sir: Jeff Bernard (Low life, 13 February) was good enough to quote me as saying that writing novels is a substitute for living. May I offer him the full text (by courtesy of the Sunday Telegraph)?

The world is a peculiar place, but it has nothing on the world of books. This is largely a fantasy world, in which the pecking order goes as follows: if you can't cope with life, write about it; if you can't write, publish; if you can't get a job in publishing become a literary agent; if you are a failed literary agent — God help you!

Colin Haycraft

Gerald Duckworth and Company Ltd, The Old Piano Factory, 43 Gloucester Crescent, Lond6n NW1