I have just been given a copy of the manuscript of 'On Beauty' by the author, Zadie Smith. This will certainly keep me out of trouble for the next few nights. I am looking forward to re-visiting the characters first encountered when I received an early draft of the work last year.

I had a long chat with Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes at Nick Laird's book launch. What a really nice man he is. Frank was very interested in the Open University. Living in the US, he had not heard of it. He thought it great that it was open to everybody. As a student of it, I could only agree. Frank, who taught in tough schools in New York City is concerned with the lack of educational opportunities in the US for poor kids. He started working in the US as a longshoreman (see On the Waterfront), went to night school and graduated as a teacher. He told me he was just about to deliver his next book on this subject to his publisher. The only University for poor students was New York City University, which he tells me was closed some years ago.