Lives in Writing

Lodge is a clear, sceptical writer, wise about things and a careful reader and in general kind even to people who plainly irritate him – Sam Leith * Spectator *
Lodge’s animating spark is his sedulousness, his ability to marshal the facts, pronounce a judgement and then subtly qualify it – DJ Taylor * Independent on Sunday *
Lodge, too original a writer to set down a conventional autobiography, re­veals himself in fragments, an anecdote here, a recollection there. The collection, then, is a kind of trick: portraits of others disguising a book about himself… This is a hybrid work, well-suited to its hybrid author – rooted in fact but entranced by fiction – Sophie Elmhirst * Financial Times *
The shrewd, amused intellect that Lodge brings to bear makes this collection a consistent pleasure… Wise and genial – Tim Martin * The Times *
Generous but discriminating, lucid without sacrificing complexity – Theo Tait * Sunday Times *
Few readers care much about literary criticism, other than their own. Lodge cares, though, and he’s marvellous at it: genuinely engaged, funny and clever in all the pieces in this new collection – Claire Harman * Evening Standard *
It’s not surprising that these essays exude expertise but Lodge’s enthusiasm, as he approaches 80, is infectious too. I smiled while reading them, buzzing with inspiration and disputatiousness, as Lodge reminded me why I love some writers and gave me impetus to discover new ones – Max Liu * Independent *
Offers some typically insightful observations into the lives and work of fellow writers * Choice *
Invaluable, and splendidly open-minded… For Lodge, writing is profession, preoccupation, recreation, passion – as far as the reader can tell, everything – Tom Payne * Daily Telegraph *
Amusing, thoughtful and exquisitely engineered, this book is a delight – Martin Stannard * Tablet *

David Lodge (CBE)’s novels include Changing Places, Small World and Nice Work (shortlisted for the Booker) and, most recently, A Man of Parts. He has also written plays and screenplays, and several books of literary criticism. His works have been translated into more than thirty languages. He is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Birmingham, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

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