REVIEWING OF BOOKS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30137, 22 May 1963, Page 19

REVIEWING OF BOOKS

I ‘Author Best Qualified’ (Special Crspdt. LONDON, May 20. The novelist Anthony Burgeu, who did a fornightiy book column for the “Yorkshire Post," reviewed eight books last week. His headline and one third of the whole space he devoted to a particular book about which he made enthusiastic comments. It now transpires the book was written by Mr Burgess himself under a pseudonym: and he has now been relieved of his writing engagements in the newspaper. “We apologise to those readers who may have been under the impression, as we were, that they were being given a disinterested appreciation of this novel,’' says the “Yorkshire Post.”

The new'spaper’s editor explained: “I knew nothing about this. We really can't have reviewers who review their own books. It is a disgraceful attitude and as far as we are concerned he has written his last review for us, We didn’t know about his pseudonym.” Mr Burgess told the "Daily Express”: “An author is bes’ qualified to criticise his own work. The paper knew my other name. I thought if they sent me my own book I would damn well write about it.

"The ‘Yorkshire Post’ won’t get the chance to fire me. I will resign at once. I have only got Bgns a fortnight from them anyway. I get 32gns from the ‘Observer’.”