There were, of course, the Bargepole columns. And this sounds like something from either him of Douglas Adams – possibly even Alan Coren who he worked for:
Michael Bywater was born in 1953 in Nottingham, the son of Jean, a teacher, and Keith Bywater, a doctor, although his biological father was Bertold Wiesner, an Austrian-born physiologist who ran Britain’s first and highly controversial fertility clinic, through which he fathered several hundred children with his own sperm.
Back when I was starting to try to write – 2004/5 sort of time – he was rather kind to me. Encouraging etc. Which, from one towering in the craft to a minion is, I think, rather fine. Had me as a speaker at a conference about Pepys for example, were blogs like diaries (no, a commonplace book)? Occasional emails over the years. We’re not talking mentor here but nice of him to encourage.
And damn, I did like those Bargepole columns. Which I did indeed say to him and he looked rather embarrassed at my enthusiasm.
To me, a nice chap, and there’s no higher praise than that now, is there?
In The Times???
Alan Coren who he worked for:
“for whom he worked”! Don’t these people even listen to Rowan Atkinson, fergodsake?!!
The who is me, not the Times.
Tho, as an amusement, a buddy of a buddy used to be the sub on the Times obits page. I would have much pendantic fun emailing him things he’d missed. Sometimes, even important things.
“ …through which he fathered several hundred children with his own sperm.”
Can one father children with another’s sperm?
Bargepole was indeed a work of genius. Sorry to hear he’s dead.