Jeffrey Bernard
I was surprised and disappointed that Unexplained Laughter by Alice Thomas Ellis was not short-listed for the Booker Prize. The fact that she is a friend has nothing to do with my nomination of it. She writes with a lovely blend of malevo- lence and wit, stands back and sees how really awful and good people are and she simply writes so well. She has obviously been observing people very sharply for some time and five novels and we must be grateful that she has committed her conclu- sions to paper. I think this is probably her best book yet. At the bottom, a serious business but she makes it sparkle. If there is such a person as a Mother Superior with a sense of humour it could be our 'Home Life' correspondent. Not only am I lucky in choosing my friends, I am lucky with relatives too. Vincent by himself, edited by Bruce Bernard, is one of the best 'art' books I have ever seen. It is a revelation to me, and people a hundred times more expert and knowledgeable on the business of painting than I are bound to discover a Van Gogh and works by Van Gogh that will be entirely new to them. And what marvellous letter-writers painters make. The torture and the genius are a magnifi- cent, moving and sad combination. It is also well worth noting that this is a beautifully designed book and the repro- ductions are excellent. It should belong to anyone who cares about painting. It has very much added to the pleasure of looking at Van Gogh.
The most overrated book of 1985? Any book with a message in mind and not written for money, plus Marina Warner's latest effort.
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