Hello, I'm Krestey Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1997, and the presenter was Sue in 19. My castaway this week is a critic. He was born in 1919 on the Isle of Man and

grew up a clever introverted boy in that remote and insular part of the United

Kingdom. After university and wartime service in the Navy he went

into academic life becoming one of the most influential critics and teachers of his

age and serving as professor of English at both London and Cambridge universities.

Anyone who studied English literature, however briefly, has probably heard of him.

But he remains disenchanted by his eminence.

Looking the part, while not being quite equal to it seems to be

something I do rather well, he says. He is Sir Frank Kermoed. Professor

Comode, I suspect most men and women of achievement feel like that, that they're not quite all they're cracked up to being.

Isn't that all you're saying, really?

Was it something more than that?

Well, no, I think I would certainly agree that that puts the case

for me I wouldn't like to judge it for other people I'd say it would be very

pleasant to be convinced that one was exceedingly bright and worthy of all the attention one got. convinced the rather blown about through life that you're rather like tumbleweed you fetched up in these places

although they've been very eminent they are very eminent place

well that is true I have sort of drifted about

mostly within the university system in this country and in the United States. I've never stayed longer than eight years in any job, and that's very unusual in an academic profession and I can't really

explain it a kind of natural a quickness to be bored with whatever one's got. That's usually the explanation.

Other explanations of course are quarrelling with people.

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