![]() ![]() But with the 20th anniversary of Notes, he has returned to the droll, acerbic tone that launched his career. Since 1995, Bryson has taken a number of public detours into respectability, most notably through his work as a preservationist. His talent lies in making both the wicked and the sincere feel of-a-piece in his writing. Bryson writes about Britain with the incision of an outsider, but also the warmth of kin. The book is full of paeans to Marks & Spencer and the elegance of the English train system. But the cutting observations are always balanced with genuine respect and affection for the places he's visiting. Bryson is bluntly critical about everything from cold toast in the countryside to the "world's ugliest building competition" that is an East London neighbourhood. Looking back, it's easy to see why Notes was such a hit. After skewering a British population known for its self-seriousness, Bryson has somehow become part of the national establishment. Today, he gets flashy university appointments and fawning media profiles. He has become a beloved figure in his adopted country, one of the rare foreigners to be named to the Order of the British Empire. While it's easy to imagine the offences a Yankee might cause when writing about another country's national character, Bryson was warmly, wholeheartedly embraced. In Notes from a Small Island, the Iowa-born writer catalogued the annoyances and mediocrities of British life from a jaundiced, American perspective. Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson pulled off an incredible trick. ![]()
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