Author(s): Alan Bennett

Literary biography

"To be brought up in Leeds in the forties was to learn early on the quite useful lesson that life is generally something that happens elsewhere." In this delightful collection of reminiscences, Alan Bennett recalls his early years in a sequence of tales that are funny, touching and written in his unique style. Born in Leeds in 1934, he realises from a young age that his family is not like other families. When war breaks out in 1939, the Bennett family is on a tram heading down Tong Road as Neville Chamberlain addresses the nation. 'So, not quite partaking in the national mood and, as ever, unbrushed by the wings of history.'

First published 2000.