Outside looking in - Price Prediction

As a lifelong admirer of Alan Bennett’s work, I can confidently say that his life and career have been nothing short of inspiring. Growing up in Yorkshire, I too could relate to his experiences as a working-class northerner striving for success amidst the establishment.

Add Alan Bennett: 90 Years On to your watchlist

In his distinctive, seemingly soft-spoken accent, Alan Bennett is known for the allegation that he often wears the same attire. Indeed, a fresh documentary on Arena, airing this week, captures the esteemed playwright in a tank top reminiscent of his student days and fastening an antique school tie from a thrift shop in Settle, a town leading to the Yorkshire Dales.

In today’s divided world, it’s easy to pigeonhole Bennett as just another Yorkshire Best talent. Yet, after a long 65-year career, he firmly rejects being boxed in. In the book “Alan Bennett: 90 Years On“, he explains that he no longer associates with the stereotypical “ee-by-gum” Yorkshire. Instead, he appreciates its subtleties, referring to it as the quiet, reluctant compliments like “she’s not a bad-looking woman” or “he’s bright enough”.

It’s often advised to write about what you’re familiar with. As a working-class northerner who excelled among the upper class at Oxford and a closeted gay man during a time when homosexuality was illegal, Bennett learned the experience of being an outsider. His early success with the 1960s comedy stage revue “Beyond the Fringe” gave him a glimpse into the establishment, and it’s this ambiguous position that has driven his exceptional body of work, criticizing institutions such as the Church of England, the monarchy, and the security services long before it was trendy to do so.

Talking Heads was a love letter to the female figures of his youth

In Bennett’s various works, you’ll find a common thread of compassion, spanning topics as diverse as pigs (in “A Private Function”) and palaces (in “A Question of Attribution”). Discussions about this author always include mention of his monologues, the “Talking Heads”, although Bennett himself has stated that he feels no need to add more to them, as everything he intended is already embedded within the pieces.

Using delicate yet impactful brushstrokes with his pen, Bennett skillfully depicted a group of women frequently underrepresented on screen, showcasing both his keen dialogue sense and emotional empathy. Humorous, insightful, and deeply moving, “Talking Heads” served as an affectionate tribute to the powerful female figures from his past, silencing any claims that only authentic life experiences hold value for creativity.

In today’s context, a work like Talking Heads written by a man might face challenges getting commissioned, while the character Hector from The History Boys may face cancellation even before publication in 2024. His worldly students’ teacher, who is seen as having an inappropriate interest in his students, would likely be labeled “predatory” or “problematic” by critics.

Instead of limiting Bennett’s perspective to viewing that quiet, poetic, closeted man from the past as a mirror image of his former self, let’s acknowledge and welcome the complexity of embracing contrasting ideas in the present moment.

Today, Alan Bennett can be considered just as much a resident of north London as he is of North Yorkshire, although you’re more apt to encounter him in their charity shops. The most remarkable accomplishment of this renowned figure is his powerful message that no one is defined by a single identity.

2024-12-02 23:03

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