From Ilkley, more
HERE it is: a new way to make money. Observe it in (of all unlikely places) a catalogue from Henry Sotheran, the admirable antiquarian bookseller. Sother- an now stocks autograph letters from authors. Thus, £26 buys a letter from Laurie Lee, declining to take part in the Ilkley Literature Festival: 'The chaotic and unplanned nature of my life makes me unable to fix commitments so far ahead.' Cheaper at £15 is a letter from John Mortimer, invited to take part in the Ilkley Literature Festival, and riposting with the Lee Counter-Gambit: 'It is quite impossi- ble for me to know what I shall be doing next July.' David Lodge, by postcard (£15), declines to take part in the Ilkley Literature Festival, because his life is of a planned nature, and he knows just what he will be doing at festival time — taking part in some other festival. The collector's choice, also at £15, must be John Lehmann, who, having incautiously agreed to take part in the Ilkley Literature Festival, needed to get out of it: 'My bad leg has been playing up and I simply don't see how I am to manage all the walking about that the visit will clearly entail.' So the Festival lacks the authors, but keeps their letters, until now. Let me invite all my disting- uished readers (which is to say, all my readers) to take part in my forthcoming Big Bang Festival, to be held at Bingley. Opportunities to write and read papers, engage in discussion groups, judge manu- scripts, listen to other people's lectures. Accommodation available at Bingley Tech Hall of Residence (Unlicensed). No fees, expenses, or transport, but a warm parti- cipative spirit. RSVP (regrets only).
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