Florence, Rome, Venice

By a strange turn of events, I may get to see again (ash clouds permitting) these three most celebrated cities of Italy. Next week, we'll begin a tour of Tuscany, starting from Lucca and driving down to Rome via Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Città della Pieve. Then, a week or so later, I'll fly to Venice and from there drive to Monselice, a small medieval town near Padua, to collect an unexpected special award from the prestigious Biblioteca di Monselice prize for my translation of The Rape of the Lock.

More Italy, this year, than in the last five years put together!

I have just seen this lovely review of Bestseller by Allan Massie in the Scotsman, and I'd like to share it with you. When you write a book, you always hope that you'll find at least one reader who can understand everything you intended to do. I seem to have found just that ideal reader in Allan.

AG