Frank Kermode | Tribute | John Naughton | Books | The Observer

He was the most erudite man I've ever known, but he wore his learning lightly. And he had a way of alerting one to one's ignorance in the gentlest of ways. Once, for example, we were discussing a very eminent scientist whom we both knew and who had been the recipient of numerous honours and awards. I confidently, but mistakenly, asserted that the man in question was a Nobel laureate. "Oh, really," said Frank, "I hadn't known that." And I immediately realised the extent of my gaffe. But nothing was said, and the subject was never mentioned again.

Frank Kermode | Tribute | John Naughton | Books | The Observer

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