The author is especially vexed by the barbarous locution “wake-up call”. The metaphysics begin with the dust-jacket: a big black “Will”. Underneath, an almost invisibly white “Self”. They are divided… ...

The author’s versatile genius posed a question: if you can’t write a novel, what gives you the right to pronouce on literature? By John Sutherland The obituaries of the critic and author David Lodge, ...