Alan Bennett’s latest diaries, Enough Said, spanning 2016 to 2024, open with the author’s candid concern over repetition. At 90, he admits, “I have said everything before. At 90 it’s impossible to avoid repetition.” These entries blend past and present, creating layered prose that gains fresh meaning with time.
Pandemic Reflections in Hindsight
The 2020 pandemic sections, previously released separately, now fit into a broader narrative. Post-Covid, they reveal Bennett’s subtle disdain for the Thursday evening pan-banging ritual in support of the NHS, which he views as performative excess despite his deep loyalty to the health service.
Enduring National Service Memories
Bennett frequently recalls his two years of national service, marking anniversaries like August 8, 1952: “8 August. 8/8/52. The day I was called up. A Thursday.” Intense memories of physical shame persist, including anxiety over undressing among others—a hurdle he navigates during service amid a longing for casual nudity. A rare intimate encounter with a fellow serviceman leaves lasting awkwardness. Bennett reflects, “I am still embarrassed about incidents in my life of which all participants are long since dead. Embarrassment is eternal.”
Sharper Personal Observations
Bennett’s journals balance wit and candor. On October 17, 2024, he critiques Michael Palin’s latest diary volume as overly detailed, calling it “something of an animated desk diary” after much skipping. Ambivalence surfaces toward Jonathan Miller, a former neighbor in London’s Gloucester Crescent. In 2016, Miller boasts of his Mikado production’s 300 global performances, prompting Bennett to withhold mention of his own History Boys exceeding 2,000. He notes, “I say nothing, but without feeling any better for not doing so.”
Creative Triumphs Amid Decline
Despite documenting physical frailty over nine years, Bennett’s output thrives. His 2018 play Allelujah!, a tribute to the NHS, succeeds on stage and becomes a film featuring Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, and Jennifer Saunders. The Choral, a World War I-era homage to Elgar and Yorkshire, also delights audiences. Both projects, directed by Nicholas Hytner—one of two men Bennett credits with transforming his life alongside partner Rupert Thomas—highlight his late-career vitality.
Avoiding Sentimentality
The tone stays unsentimental. At Jonathan Miller’s 2022 Highgate Cemetery memorial unveiling, Bennett frets over navigating the uneven ground, fearing frailty might force him to sit on the stone—risking misinterpretation as schadenfreude. As the last resident standing from that era, he embodies quiet endurance.
