Wit and beauty
Sir: I can only hope that your contributor Andrei Navrozov writes better in Russian than in English. I nearly nodded off twice reading his review of Lenin: The Novel (14 November) — and I wrote the book.
The book I wrote was a historical adven- ture story, a work of fiction. Perhaps naïvely (it was a first novel after 35 year of journalism, a decade spent on The Specta- tor) I expected it would be reviewed along with other works of imagination, in the footsteps of Robert Graves and Alexandre Dumas. Was I, Claudius sent to professors of Greek, The Three Musketeers combed for errors by biographers of Cardinal Richelieu?
Navrozov's review nowhere asks whether interesting characters have been created, narrative tension wound up, an individual and exciting style displayed, wit, beauty, excitement produced. Instead, he spends most of your generous two and half columns disputing my account of one fairly minor incident in my hero's life. It is true there are varying versions. I have taken mine from several authors including Trot- sky. He relies only on an official Soviet source. Surprisingly, and regrettably, he seems to think there is no appeal from such authority.
I have read what your historical expert thinks of Lenin. May I hope some time to read what your literary specialist thinks of The Novel?
Alan Brien
30 Grafton Terrace, London NW5
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