Alan Bennett's Latest Diaries: A Journey Through Nostalgia and Creative Renewal
In the introduction to the fourth instalment of his diaries, covering the years 2016 to 2024, Alan Bennett expresses a familiar concern: "I have said everything before. At 90 it's impossible to avoid repetition." This admission sets the tone for a collection that initially feels familiar, particularly the pandemic entries from 2020, which were previously published as a standalone volume in 2022. However, Bennett's prose proves sufficiently layered to transcend mere repetition, taking on new meanings as contexts shift over time.
The Eternal Nature of Embarrassment
One of the most striking themes throughout these diaries is Bennett's exploration of shame and embarrassment, particularly regarding his experiences during national service in the 1950s. He meticulously notes anniversaries of his call-up, with August 8, 1952 remaining particularly vivid in his memory. The physical shame of undressing in front of others haunted him throughout his service, despite his yearning for the casually naked bodies around him.
"I am still embarrassed about incidents in my life of which all participants are long since dead. Embarrassment is eternal," Bennett writes, capturing a universal human experience with his characteristic precision. Even a brief encounter with a fellow serviceman left him so awkward that he never mentioned it again, demonstrating how shame can persist across decades.
Creative Flourishing in Later Years
Despite Bennett's unflinching documentation of physical decline throughout the nine-year span of these diaries, his creative life experiences remarkable vitality. The 2018 stage play Allelujah!, a heartfelt tribute to the NHS, achieved commercial success and was adapted into a film featuring Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Jennifer Saunders. Similarly, The Choral, his cinematic homage to Elgar and small-town Yorkshire during World War I, emerged as a delightful late-career achievement.
Both projects were directed by Nicholas Hytner, whom Bennett credits as one of two men who changed his life profoundly. The other is his partner Rupert Thomas, described as a distinguished magazine editor with an exceptional eye for discovering aesthetic treasure in unlikely places.
Literary Rivalries and Personal Reflections
The diaries reveal Bennett's competitive streak, particularly in his reaction to Michael Palin's fourth volume of diaries published in October 2024. Bennett admits to reading it "after much skipping" due to what he perceives as excessive detail, dismissing it as "something of an animated desk diary." This critique highlights Bennett's awareness that his own journals are carefully crafted for entertainment value.
His relationship with Jonathan Miller, another resident of Gloucester Crescent's north London artistic community, proves particularly complex. In February 2016, before Miller's Alzheimer's diagnosis, Bennett listens to Miller boast about his production of The Mikado being performed 300 times worldwide. Bennett resists mentioning that his own play The History Boys has seen 2,000 performances, noting "I say nothing, but without feeling any better for not doing so."
Avoiding Sentimentality in Facing Mortality
Bennett maintains his characteristic avoidance of sentimentality even when confronting mortality. When invited to the unveiling of Miller's memorial stone at Highgate Cemetery in 2022, he worries about navigating the uneven terrain. His greater concern is that physical frailty might force him to perch on the monument, a gesture that could be misinterpreted as schadenfreude since he remains "the last man standing" from their circle.
The diaries also capture Bennett's evolving perspective on the pandemic. While initially supportive of the NHS, he reveals increasing skepticism toward the performative aspects of pandemic response, particularly the Thursday evening pan-banging rituals that struck him as "a bit daft" upon first observation and later as something he genuinely detested.
Throughout these pages, Bennett demonstrates why he remains one of Britain's most beloved literary figures: his ability to find universal resonance in personal experience, his unwavering honesty about human frailty, and his remarkable creative resilience in his tenth decade of life.
