‘It is all rather irresistible . . . the book ripples with warmth’
The Times
‘Another World attractively maps out the stage in his odyssey between humble pub and broadcasting glory‘
Daily Telegraph
‘A poignant read about awakening ambition’
The i paper
Having won a scholarship to Oxford University, eighteen-year-old Melvyn Bragg leaves his hometown of Wigton to travel south and immerse himself in a new and golden world.
There, he must find his place amongst the raucous public school boys and the students fresh from National Service, making new friends from varied backgrounds but never forgetting those at home. Over three formative years – as his tutors, his studies and the people around him all expand his horizons and his sense of what is possible – he takes his next steps into adulthood, surrounded by the old, imposing buildings and libraries (and protests and parties) of the ‘city of dreaming spires’.
In this moment of change, for a young man and for the nation, Bragg looks to the past and the future, and as he studies History in his tutorials, so he remembers the histories of family, friends and lovers that shaped his own story.
Alive with insight and tenderness, Another World beautifully captures a decisive step in a remarkable life.
PRAISE FOR BACK IN THE DAY:
‘A memoir bursting with affection . . . fascinating’ Sunday Times
‘Masterly . . . I loved it’ Observer
‘Utterly captivating’ Daily Mail
The Times
‘Another World attractively maps out the stage in his odyssey between humble pub and broadcasting glory‘
Daily Telegraph
‘A poignant read about awakening ambition’
The i paper
Having won a scholarship to Oxford University, eighteen-year-old Melvyn Bragg leaves his hometown of Wigton to travel south and immerse himself in a new and golden world.
There, he must find his place amongst the raucous public school boys and the students fresh from National Service, making new friends from varied backgrounds but never forgetting those at home. Over three formative years – as his tutors, his studies and the people around him all expand his horizons and his sense of what is possible – he takes his next steps into adulthood, surrounded by the old, imposing buildings and libraries (and protests and parties) of the ‘city of dreaming spires’.
In this moment of change, for a young man and for the nation, Bragg looks to the past and the future, and as he studies History in his tutorials, so he remembers the histories of family, friends and lovers that shaped his own story.
Alive with insight and tenderness, Another World beautifully captures a decisive step in a remarkable life.
PRAISE FOR BACK IN THE DAY:
‘A memoir bursting with affection . . . fascinating’ Sunday Times
‘Masterly . . . I loved it’ Observer
‘Utterly captivating’ Daily Mail
Reviews
A poignant read about awakening ambition
Attractively maps out the stage in his odyssey between humble pub and broadcasting glory
The young Bragg is a winning protagonist, who presents much like his older self: thoughtful, open and generous in celebrating his contemporaries' talents, while forgiving their foibles
One of the joys of Back in the Day that continues in Another World is the peopling of people, just as you might expect of a seasoned storyteller, observing and deepening the backgrounds of names and faces surrounding Melvyn . . . moving back and forth between a world in flux, and a self in flux, the book is impressive as it recalls both painful and pleasurable memories. Self-reflection is handled skilfully through a mix of personal commentary and recreated dialogue. The feeling of time passing over these Oxford years, of friendships solidified, and the evolution of Melvyn's own relationship with his parents and with his Cumbrian background, all makes for immensely enjoyable reading
Bragg excels at capturing the weightlessness of university years
I tore through it
For the reader, it is all rather irresistible . . . the book ripples with warmth and self-mockery . . . Bragg writes beautifully about his uncomplicated, loving male friendships