Alan Bennett : In a Manner of Speaking

Year 1998
Pages 162

Worth buying if: You want a short, general-interest profile of Alan Bennett.

Skip it if: You want a comprehensive academic biography or critical edition.

Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780571177486. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.

If this page helped you decide, purchasing through the Amazon button above supports UPB Books at no extra cost to you and helps us continue improving the site. Thanks for visiting today.

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.

Affiliate disclosure: purchases made through links on this site may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

Summary

Daphne Turner's Alan Bennett: In a Manner of Speaking offers a 162-page, general-interest look at the playwright and essayist, combining biography, commentary, and reflections published by Farrar Straus & Giroux in 1998.

Why this book now

Turner's portrait remains useful for readers seeking a concise, late-20th-century perspective on Alan Bennett's public persona and work.

30-second preview

Two quick cards, fifteen seconds each.

00:00

1-sentence hook

An intimate, focused portrait of Alan Bennett that captures his voice and public life in accessible, concise essays.

Card 1 of 2

Best for readers who...

Good fit if you want...

  • You want a short, general-interest profile of Alan Bennett.
  • You prefer concise, essay-like biographical sketches.
  • If you enjoy unreliable narrators, the chapters are concise but emotionally rich.

Maybe skip if...

  • You want a comprehensive academic biography or critical edition.
  • You expect an exhaustive chronology or complete works of Bennett.
  • You need the newest edition, freshest examples, or the most current framing.

Mood / Vibe Tags

wry observant concise Quick read Older edition

Decided it fits?

Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780571177486

Worth buying if: You want a short, general-interest profile of Alan Bennett.

Skip it if: You want a comprehensive academic biography or critical edition.

Buy This Edition on Amazon

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.

Reader guide

Cues to help you decide faster.

Reading commitment

Light Short sit-downs

At 162 pages, this is a short, single-sitting or weekend read—light on academic apparatus and aimed at general readers.

What stands out here

This Farrar Straus & Giroux 1998 edition emphasizes a readable, accessible portrait rather than scholarly annotation or exhaustive documentation.

Best way to approach it

Approach it as a focused series of essays and impressions—best read sequentially to appreciate Turner's framing of Bennett's public voice.

Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780571177486

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.