What if the Queen fell in love with reading, and started to see the world differently?
The Uncommon Reader (Faber & Faber) is Alan Bennett’s delightful take on the Queen of the U.K. developing a love for fiction. In this week’s Talking Books, Ian Brown and guests discuss this tale of a very uncommon reader.
In her essay, “The Common Reader,” Virginia Woolf described an uneducated person who reads purely for pleasure. In Bennett’s book, the Queen meets a common reader named Norman at a book mobile that caters to palace employees. She upgrades him from his kitchen job, and he turns into her literary guide."
After a while, the Queen starts feigning illness in order to skip her duties and stay in bed reading the likes of Alice Munro, Jane Austen and Dylan Thomas. As she widens her horizons, she develops some surprising new opinions.
Bennett is a British playwright, television writer and novelist, best known for the BBC series Talking Heads and his play-turned-movie, The Madness of King George.
On Talking Books, actor Susan Coyne, writer Katherine Ashenberg and professor Dennis Duffy talk with host Ian Brown about the Queen’s fictional reading list. Along the way, they speculate about whether or not Bennett really knows the Queen.
This Talking Books episode was first aired in December 2007. [runs 26:07]
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Comments
I might be amused if you had your facts straight. Queen Elizabeth II is not the Queen of England. She is the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England is a constituent country of the UK, similarly to Ontario being a constituent unit of Canada. Some may think that Ontario = Canada, but that would be wrong of course, wouldn't it... How do you think it makes people from Wales amd Scotland and Northern Ireland feel when you say that the Queen is the Queen of England?
You made a mistake and it should be corrected.
Posted by: Zoe Morrow | July 22, 2008 04:55 AM
A small quibble re your summary of this delightful book.The character Norman, is a kitchen worker working at the palace, and the queen meets him at the travelling library but he is not the librarian.
Posted by: Margaret Cook | July 22, 2008 12:48 PM
Actually, she is the Queen of England. And the Queen of Great Britain. And the Queen of the United Kingdom. And the Queen of Canada. And the Queen of Australia. And the...shall I continue?
Technically they were correct as she holds various titles.
Posted by: Bobby C | July 22, 2008 03:13 PM
In addition to the error posted by Zoe, Norman is not a young librarian who owns a bookmobile. Norman is a kitchen staff the Queen meets at the bookmobile which is owned by Mr. Hutchings. Don't let this stop you from picking up and reading this book. It is utterly charming and a thoroughly pleasurable read.
Posted by: Patty King | July 22, 2008 04:28 PM
Thanks Zoe for the clarification. It is a common(no pun intended?) mistake. Unfortunately, one that happens too often!
Posted by: keira hanna | July 22, 2008 08:42 PM
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