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Smut
One of England’s finest and most loved writers explores the uncomfortable and tragicomic gap between people’s public appearance and their private desires in two tender and surprising stories.
In The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, a recently bereaved widow finds interesting ways to supplement her income by performing as a patient for medical students, and renting out her spare room. Quiet, middle-class, and middle-aged, Mrs. Donaldson will soon discover that she rather enjoys role-play at the hospital, and the irregular and startling entertainment provided by her tenants.
In The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, a disappointed middle-aged mother dotes on her only son, Graham, who believes he must shield her from the truth. As Graham’s double life becomes increasingly complicated, we realize how little he understands, not only of his own desires but also those of his mother.
A master storyteller dissects a very English form of secrecy with two stories of the unexpected in otherwise apparently ordinary lives.
In The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, a recently bereaved widow finds interesting ways to supplement her income by performing as a patient for medical students, and renting out her spare room. Quiet, middle-class, and middle-aged, Mrs. Donaldson will soon discover that she rather enjoys role-play at the hospital, and the irregular and startling entertainment provided by her tenants.
In The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, a disappointed middle-aged mother dotes on her only son, Graham, who believes he must shield her from the truth. As Graham’s double life becomes increasingly complicated, we realize how little he understands, not only of his own desires but also those of his mother.
A master storyteller dissects a very English form of secrecy with two stories of the unexpected in otherwise apparently ordinary lives.
175 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2011
111 people are currently reading
2235 people want to read
About the author
Alan Bennett
272 books1,108 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 662 reviews
May 6, 2015
Just a couple of stories. The first of a rather meek, middle-aged housewife who rents out rooms discovering the titillating joys of voyeurism at the same time as the couple discover that exhibitionism takes money off the rent!
The second of a married gay lad who is having sex with a rather nasty policeman who is also his mother's lover. His stepfather is screwing his wife. With all this infidelity spiced with a bit of blackmail and no-one having any idea of anyone else's peccadillos because they are all so self-absorbed, it makes for an entertaining read.
The stories really are smutty. They almost define the word. They aren't overtly sexual or dirty, but what the book is called, smutty. A bit sleazy, a bit something not all that nice connected with sex but not in the porn way at all. Wonderful stuff. As is everything Alan Bennett writes.
The stories read well, but are even better on audio listening to Alan Bennett - who is a very fine actor - with his flat Yorkshire voice. If you like dry, British humour, you will love this book, I'd be interested to hear from Americans if they liked it as well.
Rewritten 30 Dec 2014
Finished 30 Dec 2013
The second of a married gay lad who is having sex with a rather nasty policeman who is also his mother's lover. His stepfather is screwing his wife. With all this infidelity spiced with a bit of blackmail and no-one having any idea of anyone else's peccadillos because they are all so self-absorbed, it makes for an entertaining read.
The stories really are smutty. They almost define the word. They aren't overtly sexual or dirty, but what the book is called, smutty. A bit sleazy, a bit something not all that nice connected with sex but not in the porn way at all. Wonderful stuff. As is everything Alan Bennett writes.
The stories read well, but are even better on audio listening to Alan Bennett - who is a very fine actor - with his flat Yorkshire voice. If you like dry, British humour, you will love this book, I'd be interested to hear from Americans if they liked it as well.
Rewritten 30 Dec 2014
Finished 30 Dec 2013
March 16, 2023
This was my first read of Alan Bennett and I listened to an audiobook read by Alan Bennett himself. I found it really enjoyable and particularly loved the British humour.
August 27, 2017
Not much to say about this one other than that it was a bit of a disappointment:
The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, I have no doubt, was penned to shock more than it was penned to incite thoughts about the perception of quiet, middle-class, older ladies. But Bennett's taking apart of assumptions about quiet older ladies was the much funnier than the completely implausible plot twist. The only time I got a giggle out of this story was at the very end when Mrs Donaldson turns down a proposition because she's not finished reading the chapter in her current book, yet.
The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, was weird but thankfully it was also instantly forgettable.
The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, I have no doubt, was penned to shock more than it was penned to incite thoughts about the perception of quiet, middle-class, older ladies. But Bennett's taking apart of assumptions about quiet older ladies was the much funnier than the completely implausible plot twist. The only time I got a giggle out of this story was at the very end when Mrs Donaldson turns down a proposition because she's not finished reading the chapter in her current book, yet.
The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, was weird but thankfully it was also instantly forgettable.
Want to read
April 2, 2019Contents:
003 - "The Greening of Mrs Donaldson Mrs Donaldson"
109 - "The Shielding of Mrs Forbes"
The Shielding of Mrs Forbes" - Graham Forbes is a disappointment to his mother, who thinks that if he must have a wife, he should have done better. Though her own husband isn't all that satisfactory either. Still, this is Alan Bennett, so what is happening in the bedroom (and in lots of other places too) is altogether more startling, perhaps shocking, and ultimately more true to people's predilections.
"The Greening of Mrs Donaldson" - Mrs Donaldson is a conventional middle-class woman beached on the shores of widowhood after a marriage that had been much like many others: happy to begin with, then satisfactory and finally dull. But when she decides to take in two lodgers, her mundane life becomes much more stimulating ...
This copy is numbered 70 of 100 and is signed by Alan Bennett.
003 - "The Greening of Mrs Donaldson Mrs Donaldson"
109 - "The Shielding of Mrs Forbes"
The Shielding of Mrs Forbes" - Graham Forbes is a disappointment to his mother, who thinks that if he must have a wife, he should have done better. Though her own husband isn't all that satisfactory either. Still, this is Alan Bennett, so what is happening in the bedroom (and in lots of other places too) is altogether more startling, perhaps shocking, and ultimately more true to people's predilections.
"The Greening of Mrs Donaldson" - Mrs Donaldson is a conventional middle-class woman beached on the shores of widowhood after a marriage that had been much like many others: happy to begin with, then satisfactory and finally dull. But when she decides to take in two lodgers, her mundane life becomes much more stimulating ...
This copy is numbered 70 of 100 and is signed by Alan Bennett.
September 12, 2017
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because I’ve always wanted to say that I was reading smut.
My only familiarity with Alan Bennett’s work was seeing the film The Lady in the Van, which amused me greatly. These two pieces of short fiction, The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson and The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, were also amusing in a somewhat different way. The author admits to using the title Smut to forestall the critics who were likely to label it as such.
Truly not very smutty, these stories are more meditations on our social hang-ups about sexuality and our reluctance to talk honestly about it. I must say that I preferred Mrs. Donaldson because I could relate to her more easily that Mrs. Forbes. I enjoyed how she took two moneymaking propositions and found ways to make them more fun & interesting while also being able to annoy her rather judgmental daughter. Mrs. Forbes, on the other hand, would probably have gotten along with Mrs. Donaldson’s daughter.
My only familiarity with Alan Bennett’s work was seeing the film The Lady in the Van, which amused me greatly. These two pieces of short fiction, The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson and The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, were also amusing in a somewhat different way. The author admits to using the title Smut to forestall the critics who were likely to label it as such.
Truly not very smutty, these stories are more meditations on our social hang-ups about sexuality and our reluctance to talk honestly about it. I must say that I preferred Mrs. Donaldson because I could relate to her more easily that Mrs. Forbes. I enjoyed how she took two moneymaking propositions and found ways to make them more fun & interesting while also being able to annoy her rather judgmental daughter. Mrs. Forbes, on the other hand, would probably have gotten along with Mrs. Donaldson’s daughter.
January 24, 2018
Videorecensione: https://youtu.be/5xDZTDNcJL8
May 10, 2012
Oooooh Mr Bennett, you are naughty. :-O
Eros and Thanatos - a definite win for Eros in The Greening of Mrs Donaldson
Truth and Lies and Internet - truth not getting much of a look in at all in The Shielding of Mrs Forbes
I fear for Mr Bennett's health: he may well have burst a blood vessel in this effort to shake himself free of his image as Cosy National Treasure. But he really can't shock, no matter how he tries. Not while he uses such delightfully appropriate but gently dated turns of phrase. Example: Mrs Donaldson is not irretrievably bereft when Mr Donaldson dies, because her husband had been prey to ... technological fancies which were jealously guarded. The lawnmower had been a proscribed area, the CD player and even the electric carving knife, all of which his death had liberated for her promiscuous deployment... Her promiscuous deployment!
Actually, I think Mr Bennett knows himself that he will never manage to sully his reputation, and gives a knowing little nod to his own cleaving to the past. Or does someone need to point out to him that fifty-five year old women no longer wear suspenders except, perhaps, to indulge a private bedroom fantasy? I don't think so.
The story of Mrs Forbes not only fails to shock, but fails to interest. Too transparent, too unlikely, two twists too many. But what always glows is Mr Bennett's warmth for these fallible people that he invents for us.
Eros and Thanatos - a definite win for Eros in The Greening of Mrs Donaldson
Truth and Lies and Internet - truth not getting much of a look in at all in The Shielding of Mrs Forbes
I fear for Mr Bennett's health: he may well have burst a blood vessel in this effort to shake himself free of his image as Cosy National Treasure. But he really can't shock, no matter how he tries. Not while he uses such delightfully appropriate but gently dated turns of phrase. Example: Mrs Donaldson is not irretrievably bereft when Mr Donaldson dies, because her husband had been prey to ... technological fancies which were jealously guarded. The lawnmower had been a proscribed area, the CD player and even the electric carving knife, all of which his death had liberated for her promiscuous deployment... Her promiscuous deployment!
Actually, I think Mr Bennett knows himself that he will never manage to sully his reputation, and gives a knowing little nod to his own cleaving to the past. Or does someone need to point out to him that fifty-five year old women no longer wear suspenders except, perhaps, to indulge a private bedroom fantasy? I don't think so.
The story of Mrs Forbes not only fails to shock, but fails to interest. Too transparent, too unlikely, two twists too many. But what always glows is Mr Bennett's warmth for these fallible people that he invents for us.
July 18, 2011
Two delightful and very Bennettian short stories, each of which is best read in one go. Goodness knows what non-Brits make of them!
They are not very smutty and not very plausible, but they are great fun. As with many of his works, a combination of repressed feelings (not all of them sexual) and respectability hide thoughts, feelings and actions that may seem out of character, but are actually fundamental to who the person is. And yet the characters do not, initially at least, realise what they hide, "The closest she got to pretence was politeness."
The first story concerns a widow. With typical ironic understatement, Bennett compares a colleague's excitement over a camcorder, with her husband, who "had been prey to similar passing technological fancies which were equally jealously guarded... all of which his death had liberated for her promiscuous deployment, being that she no longer had to play the little woman." Ouch! Promiscuous deployment of a lawnmower seems somehow smuttier than any of the sex.
Anyway, the widow discovers a prurient side to herself, and that changes her. "Seldom having had much of a secret before... Mrs Donaldson was surprised at how strong the impulse was to share it, or at least to share the secret that she had one to share." There is always a current of pain and regret in Bennett.
The second story concerns different double-life scenarios. Mentions of a mobile phone and the internet make it firmly modern(ish), but everything else (including a 20-something called Betty) put it at least 30 years earlier.
Still, with lines like these, it really doesn't matter:
"His wife was often taken for a widow. She had so much the air of a woman who was coping magnificently, that a husband still extant took people by surprise."
The old, train-loving vicar's version of the facts of life "relied heavily on the piston, the furnace and the eccentric rod, helpful did one want to travel from London to Darlington but no preparation for the rigours of modern marriage".
They are not very smutty and not very plausible, but they are great fun. As with many of his works, a combination of repressed feelings (not all of them sexual) and respectability hide thoughts, feelings and actions that may seem out of character, but are actually fundamental to who the person is. And yet the characters do not, initially at least, realise what they hide, "The closest she got to pretence was politeness."
The first story concerns a widow. With typical ironic understatement, Bennett compares a colleague's excitement over a camcorder, with her husband, who "had been prey to similar passing technological fancies which were equally jealously guarded... all of which his death had liberated for her promiscuous deployment, being that she no longer had to play the little woman." Ouch! Promiscuous deployment of a lawnmower seems somehow smuttier than any of the sex.
Anyway, the widow discovers a prurient side to herself, and that changes her. "Seldom having had much of a secret before... Mrs Donaldson was surprised at how strong the impulse was to share it, or at least to share the secret that she had one to share." There is always a current of pain and regret in Bennett.
The second story concerns different double-life scenarios. Mentions of a mobile phone and the internet make it firmly modern(ish), but everything else (including a 20-something called Betty) put it at least 30 years earlier.
Still, with lines like these, it really doesn't matter:
"His wife was often taken for a widow. She had so much the air of a woman who was coping magnificently, that a husband still extant took people by surprise."
The old, train-loving vicar's version of the facts of life "relied heavily on the piston, the furnace and the eccentric rod, helpful did one want to travel from London to Darlington but no preparation for the rigours of modern marriage".
June 7, 2020
Σε κάθε βιβλίο του ο Bennett έχω την αίσθηση πως με κοιτάει από μια γωνιά και μου κλείνει συνωμοτικά το μάτι.
Δυο ιστορίες (The Greening of Mrs Donaldson & The Shielding of Mrs Forbes) με τη γνώριμη, σκανδαλιάρικη και ανατρεπτική γραφή που μας έχει συνηθίσει.
Δυο ιστορίες (The Greening of Mrs Donaldson & The Shielding of Mrs Forbes) με τη γνώριμη, σκανδαλιάρικη και ανατρεπτική γραφή που μας έχει συνηθίσει.
March 29, 2012
This book is my answer to all the hype about Fifty Shades of Grey, which I will not read. Ann Patchett recommended Smut on her blog that she started on the website for her new independent book store parnassusbooks.net. She wrote 'Smut is just dirty enough, it is the perfect balance of dirty and very properly British. It is extremely funny and as neatly pieced together as a Swiss watch'. It was a fun read and I look forward to reading some of his other work.
February 2, 2012
According to the Urban Dictionary, smut translates to highly developed stories with love lines and other things that appeal to women, with a lot of sexually explicit scenes. By that definition, is Alan Bennett’s latest novel truly about smut?
The ambiguous answer: yes but not really. Smut really tackles the theme of how those of us, living within narrow boundaries of social convention, break free from conforming to appearances. The result is entertaining, amusingly quirky British humor at its best.
The first of the novellas is The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, the story of a 50-something middle-class woman “beached on the shores of widowhood” who takes in a young medical student couple as a way of supplementing her pension. At the same time, she decides to make some money as a “part-time demonstrator” for the medical school; in essence, playing the part of a person with an illness so that the student doctors can refine their diagnostic skills. In lieu of rent, her young borders offer to let her view their nightly sexual escapades. And so she begins her thrilled Walter Mitty life: actor/pretender by day and voyeur by night.
The second, The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes (there is a certain symmetry in the titles), focuses on the priggish middle-aged woman who appears blind to the fact that her handsome and narcissistic son is gay. Graham – the son – soon marries a rather dowdy but highly intelligent woman named Betty for her money and begins to enjoy her company as well. What emerges is a parlor game of misadventures as Bennett explores the ramifications of the family secret…with everyone sleeping with everyone else.
So what is Alan Bennett – the fine author and playwright of The Uncommon Reader and The History Boys, among others – trying to accomplish? For one thing, in both novellas, he shows that appearances are not as they seem at first glance Mrs. Donaldson is hardly the repressed and conventional widow nor is Mrs. Forbes the unsuspecting mother. As the two eponymous women – and the characters close to them – strive to “perform” for all those around them, the performances are ultimately semi-comical and definitely false.
This slender and compulsively page-turning book offers plenty of the trademark pleasures that those familiar with Bennett’s oeuvre will readily detect. It’s filled with witty plot twists and turns of phrases and sometimes befuddled, often repressed characters that are also sympathetic. I can think of far worse ways to pass a few hours than in the company of such fascinating characters.
The ambiguous answer: yes but not really. Smut really tackles the theme of how those of us, living within narrow boundaries of social convention, break free from conforming to appearances. The result is entertaining, amusingly quirky British humor at its best.
The first of the novellas is The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, the story of a 50-something middle-class woman “beached on the shores of widowhood” who takes in a young medical student couple as a way of supplementing her pension. At the same time, she decides to make some money as a “part-time demonstrator” for the medical school; in essence, playing the part of a person with an illness so that the student doctors can refine their diagnostic skills. In lieu of rent, her young borders offer to let her view their nightly sexual escapades. And so she begins her thrilled Walter Mitty life: actor/pretender by day and voyeur by night.
The second, The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes (there is a certain symmetry in the titles), focuses on the priggish middle-aged woman who appears blind to the fact that her handsome and narcissistic son is gay. Graham – the son – soon marries a rather dowdy but highly intelligent woman named Betty for her money and begins to enjoy her company as well. What emerges is a parlor game of misadventures as Bennett explores the ramifications of the family secret…with everyone sleeping with everyone else.
So what is Alan Bennett – the fine author and playwright of The Uncommon Reader and The History Boys, among others – trying to accomplish? For one thing, in both novellas, he shows that appearances are not as they seem at first glance Mrs. Donaldson is hardly the repressed and conventional widow nor is Mrs. Forbes the unsuspecting mother. As the two eponymous women – and the characters close to them – strive to “perform” for all those around them, the performances are ultimately semi-comical and definitely false.
This slender and compulsively page-turning book offers plenty of the trademark pleasures that those familiar with Bennett’s oeuvre will readily detect. It’s filled with witty plot twists and turns of phrases and sometimes befuddled, often repressed characters that are also sympathetic. I can think of far worse ways to pass a few hours than in the company of such fascinating characters.
January 5, 2012
Naughty was never so nice
I’m a fan of Alan Bennett’s wonderful plays, but my greatest affection is reserved for his charming novella The Uncommon Reader. Coming in at a slight 160 pages, Smut is similar in length, but this book is made up of two brief stories. In content, they have nothing in common with that earlier tale, but they exhibit the same trademark humor and warmth. This is a writer it’s difficult not to like. Therefore, it may be surprising to hear that Mr. Bennett is writing Smut. These tales are about sex—at least in part. And though it’s been years since I read them, these stories remind me of nothing so much as the “adult” stories of Roald Dahl.
The first and longer of the two stories was my favorite. “The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson” involves a middle-aged widow who supplements her income by acting out symptoms for medical students to diagnose. There’s much more to it, of course, but half the pleasure here is in the discovery. The other half of the pleasure is the loveable and very human Mrs. Donaldson. And then the third half of the pleasure is the gentle humor.
I didn’t like the characters in “The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes” quite as much, but they weren’t meant to be as likable. The vain Graham Forbes has several secrets he’s keeping from his new wife, but it turns out she has an agenda of her own.
Despite Bennett’s natural sweetness, these stories really do discuss sexual matters in a very frank and adult manner. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t describe them as graphic. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Uncommon Reader to anyone who’s ever loved a book. I won’t be recommending Smut quite as unreservedly. I think more open-minded readers will enjoy these stories the most. But I enjoyed them immensely, and I do recommend them.
I’m a fan of Alan Bennett’s wonderful plays, but my greatest affection is reserved for his charming novella The Uncommon Reader. Coming in at a slight 160 pages, Smut is similar in length, but this book is made up of two brief stories. In content, they have nothing in common with that earlier tale, but they exhibit the same trademark humor and warmth. This is a writer it’s difficult not to like. Therefore, it may be surprising to hear that Mr. Bennett is writing Smut. These tales are about sex—at least in part. And though it’s been years since I read them, these stories remind me of nothing so much as the “adult” stories of Roald Dahl.
The first and longer of the two stories was my favorite. “The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson” involves a middle-aged widow who supplements her income by acting out symptoms for medical students to diagnose. There’s much more to it, of course, but half the pleasure here is in the discovery. The other half of the pleasure is the loveable and very human Mrs. Donaldson. And then the third half of the pleasure is the gentle humor.
I didn’t like the characters in “The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes” quite as much, but they weren’t meant to be as likable. The vain Graham Forbes has several secrets he’s keeping from his new wife, but it turns out she has an agenda of her own.
Despite Bennett’s natural sweetness, these stories really do discuss sexual matters in a very frank and adult manner. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t describe them as graphic. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend The Uncommon Reader to anyone who’s ever loved a book. I won’t be recommending Smut quite as unreservedly. I think more open-minded readers will enjoy these stories the most. But I enjoyed them immensely, and I do recommend them.
October 2, 2011
Funny book. It is two short stories, both about middle aged women in circumstances or situations that, in former times may have been regarded primly as smutty, something which this book is not. It is witty and clever, light hearted, and gently pokes fun at society's preoccupations with "how things look".
[from 'The Shielding of Mrs Forbes'] “In the years since he was born her sights had risen and Graham was not nearly the classy name she’d once thought. She wished now that she could get rid of it as she had got rid of the dark oak dining suite that belonged to the same period. But though car-boot sales exist to dispose of discarded aspirations there are no stalls dealing in our most unwanted commodities like names, relatives or one’s own appearance in the glass.”
[from 'The Shielding of Mrs Forbes'] “In the years since he was born her sights had risen and Graham was not nearly the classy name she’d once thought. She wished now that she could get rid of it as she had got rid of the dark oak dining suite that belonged to the same period. But though car-boot sales exist to dispose of discarded aspirations there are no stalls dealing in our most unwanted commodities like names, relatives or one’s own appearance in the glass.”
August 15, 2024
Good grief that was possibly one of the most boring books I’ve ever read. It’s safe to say I’m not a fan of Alan Bennett. Onwards….!
May 27, 2012
Smut: Stories
Imagine, if you will, that the cast of Monte Python got together and wrote dirty little stories. Only they wrote them in a somewhat serious mode – of course, being Monte Python they would need to be full of tongue in cheek, satirical and cynical humor that shined a mirror back at the inanities of real life and real people and society in general.
Alan Bennett is one of Britain's most beloved playwrights, screenwriters, actors and authors. Oxford educated , he studied history and performed with The Oxford Revue. He stayed to teach and research medieval history at the university for several years. His collaboration as writer and performer with Dudley Moore, Jonathan Miller and Peter Cook in the satirical revue Beyond the Fringe at the 1960 Edinburgh Festival brought him instant fame. He gave up academia, and turned to writing full time. His output includes The Madness of George III and its film incarnation The Madness of King George, the series of monologues Talking Heads, the play The History Boys, and popular audio books, including his readings of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Winnie-the-Pooh. keeping that in mind, you can imagine that this collection of two stories is not the usual titillating fare.
Smut is two unseemly stories; the first is called '”The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson” the second, "The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes". In a nut shell, both stories details the ways that people ‘counterfeit’ the selves they project towards society. Not how they adapt, and mold themselves to society, but in how they fake their societal persona in order to fit the mores and expectations that society holds for them. And of course, as the title may allude, in a sexual way.
In our first story, Mrs. Donaldson is a recent widow of upper middle class standing whose husband, upon his death, has left her not quite as comfortable as she had thought. Now, because of her standing, class wise, in society she can’t simply take a job as a clerk in a department store, or the like. And, because of that same place in society, she of course has no skills for a job market anyhow. So, she hits on the ideal way to maintain that societal façade by ‘volunteering’ at the local doctors teaching hospital. Her duties as a volunteer are to act out the symptoms of patients for the student doctors. Ahh, I see I have your attention. Who doesn’t love a good dirty story about playing doctor? Takes us back to the earliest days of puberty, it does. Well, get your mind out of the gutter, because our Mrs. Donaldson does not need to get undressed or submit to the young interns in a gynecological way.
However, our Mrs. Donaldson does find that she has acting abilities, and quite a good memory for performing the tiniest nuance of symptoms and behaviors for everything from the flu to fallen arches. And she does get to know the naughty thoughts of her fellow volunteers as well as the young doctors and even the instructor and the added income is very helpful in supplementing her retirement. But not quite adequate. So, she also decides to let out a room in her large home. But she can’t simply rent a room as that also would be unseemly for a person of her standing. So, she decides to ‘help’ students from the college by providing them with a convenient and affordable place to stay. Things get interesting when a young couple get in a-rears on the rent and come up with a novel way to catch up. Listen to Bennett read a selection here.
The second story is “The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes” in which Mrs. Forbes, also a comfortable middle class and middle aged mother dotes on her only child; her son Graham. Graham is stunningly good looking and he knows it. He is also fastidious in his appearance. Think a cross between Dorian Grey and the man in the Kinks song, “Dedicated Follower Of Fashion”. Graham is also decidedly gay, but, truth be told, Graham is really only in love with himself. But he does feel he must shield his mother from the truth about his choice in sexuality so he marries a very plain, but extremely wealthy woman. Mrs. Forbes thoroughly bullied husband is accepting of the arrangement, but Mrs. Forbes (holding tightly to the belief that her son is the most handsome and desirable man on the face of the earth) believes that Graham could have done better. So the farcical act begins. Mr. Forbes takes solace in an online relationship with a dark and sensuous beauty in Samoa (but who actually lives in Clitheroe), and he eventually comes to spend quality time with his daughter in-law. Mean while, Graham, having decided to perform his husbandly duties, only to satisfy his own curiosity of course, being the self-centered snob that he is and has been raised to be, finds a bit of enjoyment in the task, even though he can’t stand her outside of the marital bed. Eventually he takes up with a paid, gay lover who turns out to be a blackmailing village policeman. Graham is left to depend on his wife, who decidedly proves to be the brains in this farce, to extricate himself, while not disappointing his mother.
Bennett's humor in this small collection (160 pages)consistently triumphs in the logic of the parenthetical aside, the comedy of false face worn by most of the characters to show society or in the misperceptions of that society and the people that reside there. Mrs. Donaldson is not as ‘green’ as she thought herself to be, and no one around Mrs. Forbes is who they pretend to be.
Appropriately enough, given Bennett's day job, both stories are really about performing, about putting on a show for other people. Most of the characters think they're fooling the world, and most of them are wrong. The book's theme isn’t really "smut" it is "unseemliness," the pressures and expectations of decorum and social expectations. But it is also about the creative, even eccentric ways in which people use sex. The only couple in either tale who carry on a conventional, loving and sexual relationship based on mutual affection and pleasure is also an adulterous somewhat incestuous and secret relationship between Mr. Forbes and his daughter-in-law, Betty. The lesson to be taken from these marvelous stories are that appearances are, of course, deceiving: Mrs. Donaldson is not as green as she, or her friends would suppose, and Mrs. Forbes needs less shielding than her family thinks.
And finally, Bennett's satire is not really directed at the characters who counterfeit for society's sake (he actually treats the characters – especially the characters that society has a tendency to judge as deviant to some degree - with tenderness and acceptance). Instead, the satire is directed at the need to perform at all; at a society made up of people who, while probably fooling themselves, still expect others to live up to a collective sense of decorum.
Farcical? Yes. And it is easy to write these stories off as comedy; as wry wit, but the real question is just how farcical is society itself? And perhaps the Smut of the title is societies own expectations and norms.
Article first published as Book Review : Smut by Alan Bennett on Blogcritics.
The Dirty Lowdown
December 27, 2025
Libro leggero ma non inconsistente con cui passare piacevolmente un paio di ore.
Colpiscono i personaggi.
Nel primo racconto, Mrs. Donaldson, passata la mezz’età, da vedova, ritrova la vitalità evidentemente repressa in corso di matrimonio, impersonando per lavoro vite altre e lanciandosi in sesso con ragazzi di una trentina d’anni più giovani.
Nel secondo racconto, dalla trama più movimentata, la bruttina Betty è quella più intelligente, e scardina i rapporti familiari, forse in un certo qual modo riequilibrandoli, quello morboso tra il figlio - suo marito, sessualmente incerto - e la madre, e quello, evidentemente deteriorato, tra la madre ed il di lei marito.
Colpiscono i personaggi.
Nel primo racconto, Mrs. Donaldson, passata la mezz’età, da vedova, ritrova la vitalità evidentemente repressa in corso di matrimonio, impersonando per lavoro vite altre e lanciandosi in sesso con ragazzi di una trentina d’anni più giovani.
Nel secondo racconto, dalla trama più movimentata, la bruttina Betty è quella più intelligente, e scardina i rapporti familiari, forse in un certo qual modo riequilibrandoli, quello morboso tra il figlio - suo marito, sessualmente incerto - e la madre, e quello, evidentemente deteriorato, tra la madre ed il di lei marito.
January 22, 2018
Disinvolte Cochonneries
Un Bennet briosamente perfido
Una veloce lettura , frizzante
con un po' di maliziosa leggerezza ...
Un assaggio dei coniugi Forbes all'inattesa notizia dell'imminente matrimonio del loro unico figlio ... ecco la signora Forbes :)
« Comunque, Edward,guardiamo ai fatti.
Lui è bellissimo, lei no. Il matrimonio è un sodalizio: i belli si sposano tra di loro,
e tutti gli altri raccattano gli avanzi».
«C’è anche l’amore...» replicò Mr Forbes senza convinzione.
«Certo che c’è» sbuffò Mrs Forbes. «Come no. Lei è innamorata di lui,e chi non lo sarebbe?
Graham, invece, non so cosa ci trovi».
«Magari è ricca».
«Col golfino bucato e lo stesso collant per tre giorni di fila? Non mi pare proprio».
«I suoi non ci sono più».
«Questo non le vieta di portare la roba in lavanderia. Certo che se
avesse avuto dei genitori avremmo potuto farci un’idea più precisa su di lei».
«Ma li ha avuti» precisò Mr Forbes, paziente. «Come tutti. Solo che sono morti».
«Questo lo dice lei. Dopo averla vista per la prima volta l’avranno
abbandonata in un bosco, come nelle favole. Non mi fido mica, io, degli
orfani. Ti ricordi la storia che abbiamo visto a teatro...».
e questo è Mr Forbes
«Immagino che...» mormorò Mr Forbes, assorto.
«Che?».
«Che ci abbiano già dato dentro».
«Scusa?».
«Che se la sia già fatta».
Calò un silenzio drammatico. Era una controversia annosa: il lessico di lei, il lessico di lui,
e se a lui era concesso esternare su quell’argomento.
«Vuoi dire che “hanno fatto l’amore”, vero? Preferisco non pensarci affatto».
Mr Forbes iniziava a prenderci gusto. «Lei dev’essere un po’ una che la dà via».
«“Una che la dà via”? Edward! Quando imparerai che non devi usare questo linguaggio?».
«Graham lo usa».
«Graham è diverso. Lui è giovane, bello, con una gran macchina. Lui vive al massimo e parla di conseguenza. Lui può dire “tipo”, “tipa”, “tosto”, e tutte quelle cose che dicono i giovani.
Tu no. L’altra sera dai Maynard ti ho sentito, sai?
Te ne sei uscito con “tette”. Sei troppo vecchio per dire “tette”».
«Ah sì? E quand’è che si supera l’età? Quanti anni bisogna avere per poterlo ancora dire?».
«Non è solo questione di anni, Edward. C’è chi lo può dire per una vita
intera. Tu invece non sei mai stato abbastanza... fico».
«Si dice così, adesso?».
«“Fico”, “glamour”, “super”! »
Un Bennet briosamente perfido
Una veloce lettura , frizzante
con un po' di maliziosa leggerezza ...
Un assaggio dei coniugi Forbes all'inattesa notizia dell'imminente matrimonio del loro unico figlio ... ecco la signora Forbes :)
« Comunque, Edward,guardiamo ai fatti.
Lui è bellissimo, lei no. Il matrimonio è un sodalizio: i belli si sposano tra di loro,
e tutti gli altri raccattano gli avanzi».
«C’è anche l’amore...» replicò Mr Forbes senza convinzione.
«Certo che c’è» sbuffò Mrs Forbes. «Come no. Lei è innamorata di lui,e chi non lo sarebbe?
Graham, invece, non so cosa ci trovi».
«Magari è ricca».
«Col golfino bucato e lo stesso collant per tre giorni di fila? Non mi pare proprio».
«I suoi non ci sono più».
«Questo non le vieta di portare la roba in lavanderia. Certo che se
avesse avuto dei genitori avremmo potuto farci un’idea più precisa su di lei».
«Ma li ha avuti» precisò Mr Forbes, paziente. «Come tutti. Solo che sono morti».
«Questo lo dice lei. Dopo averla vista per la prima volta l’avranno
abbandonata in un bosco, come nelle favole. Non mi fido mica, io, degli
orfani. Ti ricordi la storia che abbiamo visto a teatro...».
e questo è Mr Forbes
«Immagino che...» mormorò Mr Forbes, assorto.
«Che?».
«Che ci abbiano già dato dentro».
«Scusa?».
«Che se la sia già fatta».
Calò un silenzio drammatico. Era una controversia annosa: il lessico di lei, il lessico di lui,
e se a lui era concesso esternare su quell’argomento.
«Vuoi dire che “hanno fatto l’amore”, vero? Preferisco non pensarci affatto».
Mr Forbes iniziava a prenderci gusto. «Lei dev’essere un po’ una che la dà via».
«“Una che la dà via”? Edward! Quando imparerai che non devi usare questo linguaggio?».
«Graham lo usa».
«Graham è diverso. Lui è giovane, bello, con una gran macchina. Lui vive al massimo e parla di conseguenza. Lui può dire “tipo”, “tipa”, “tosto”, e tutte quelle cose che dicono i giovani.
Tu no. L’altra sera dai Maynard ti ho sentito, sai?
Te ne sei uscito con “tette”. Sei troppo vecchio per dire “tette”».
«Ah sì? E quand’è che si supera l’età? Quanti anni bisogna avere per poterlo ancora dire?».
«Non è solo questione di anni, Edward. C’è chi lo può dire per una vita
intera. Tu invece non sei mai stato abbastanza... fico».
«Si dice così, adesso?».
«“Fico”, “glamour”, “super”! »
June 4, 2012
What a disappointment! If I hadn't read any other Alan Bennett, this would probably have put me off him for good! The first story had its moments; particularly when the main character, Mrs Donaldson, is doing her "turn" at the hospital, but those were the rare moments of humanity in what was ultimately a totally unbelievable piece of nonsense.
I don't consider myself a prude; documentaries about "adult babies" or "pony fetishes" don't shock me like they do my straight sister and brother-in-law. I may be strictly Vanilla, but I know there are many more things that float other people's boats. But the idea that this young couple would turn round to their middle-aged landlady and say, in effect, "I know we're a bit behind with the rent, but how about we shag and let you watch and we'll call it quits?" was just nonsense. And given that the whole story revolved around this act, I'm afraid I just lost all sense of empathy with the characters and, quite frankly, couldn't wait to get to the end, to have this grubby little saga over and done with.
The second story was a little better. The characters did, at least, have one foot in reality, although personally, (and friends will, I am sure, bear testimony that I'm not one to look for offense where it isn't intended,) I found it quite offensive and rather homophobic. Now I don't believe that any Gay character MUST be a positive portrayal, but everything about the Gay characters, their actions, their sexual activities, were portrayed as self-serving, superficial and downright seedy, whereas the extra-marital affair between Graham's father and his daughter-in-law was portrayed as an innocent and touching liaison.
I think that, on the basis of these two tales, Bennett's characters are much more interesting, much more sympathetic and much more "real" when they are NOT having sex! Let's just say that it won't be taking up space on my bookshelves because life's too short to re-read this!
I don't consider myself a prude; documentaries about "adult babies" or "pony fetishes" don't shock me like they do my straight sister and brother-in-law. I may be strictly Vanilla, but I know there are many more things that float other people's boats. But the idea that this young couple would turn round to their middle-aged landlady and say, in effect, "I know we're a bit behind with the rent, but how about we shag and let you watch and we'll call it quits?" was just nonsense. And given that the whole story revolved around this act, I'm afraid I just lost all sense of empathy with the characters and, quite frankly, couldn't wait to get to the end, to have this grubby little saga over and done with.
The second story was a little better. The characters did, at least, have one foot in reality, although personally, (and friends will, I am sure, bear testimony that I'm not one to look for offense where it isn't intended,) I found it quite offensive and rather homophobic. Now I don't believe that any Gay character MUST be a positive portrayal, but everything about the Gay characters, their actions, their sexual activities, were portrayed as self-serving, superficial and downright seedy, whereas the extra-marital affair between Graham's father and his daughter-in-law was portrayed as an innocent and touching liaison.
I think that, on the basis of these two tales, Bennett's characters are much more interesting, much more sympathetic and much more "real" when they are NOT having sex! Let's just say that it won't be taking up space on my bookshelves because life's too short to re-read this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2024
'Smut - two unseemly stories' (2010) by Alan Bennet is, as the title would suggest, two such stories - namely 'The Greening of Mrs Donaldson' and 'The Shielding of Mrs Forbes'.
This collection, or pair of Bennet stories is somewhat of a departure from what might be considered his usual ouevre and is seemingly an attempt to distance himself from readers expectations of what might be thought of as safe cosiness.
The eponymous 'Mrs Donaldson' works as a demonstrator/actor for the NHS taking part in training/scenario sessions delivered for medical students along the way happening across an unexpected arrangement that she enters into with her student lodgers...
Whilst 'Mrs Forbes'... along with her only son Graham leads an increasingly complicated life of surprises.
It's Alan Bennet, so it's great stuff as usual, whilst not classic Bennet, it's good to read something new that he's trying out here.
This collection, or pair of Bennet stories is somewhat of a departure from what might be considered his usual ouevre and is seemingly an attempt to distance himself from readers expectations of what might be thought of as safe cosiness.
The eponymous 'Mrs Donaldson' works as a demonstrator/actor for the NHS taking part in training/scenario sessions delivered for medical students along the way happening across an unexpected arrangement that she enters into with her student lodgers...
Whilst 'Mrs Forbes'... along with her only son Graham leads an increasingly complicated life of surprises.
It's Alan Bennet, so it's great stuff as usual, whilst not classic Bennet, it's good to read something new that he's trying out here.
February 23, 2013
Smut, is a collection of two novella-like short stories: ‘The Greening of Mrs Donaldson’ and ‘The Shielding of Mrs Forbes’.
The first story is about a widow, Mrs Donaldson, who works part time in a university hospital as a patient (acting out symptoms) for students to figure out as part of their studies. She also rents out a room in her house to a student couple and when they fall behind in their rent, they approach her with the proposition to let her watch them having intercourse. She agrees and to her surprise, discovers how enjoyable the act of voyeurism is. Later on the students move out and another couple want to move in (friends of the previous tenants) who then hint at the possibility of… Yes, the question is what will Mrs Donaldson do? I’ll not spoil it further and my excuses for having revealed this much already but it is necessary for a point I want to make later.
The second story is about a gay man, Graham Forbes, who’s basically a mama’s boy, only think posh, British and stuck-up. He marries a rich woman to keep up appearances. {*Spoiler alert!} His stepfather sleeps with his daughter-in-law (Graham’s wife), his mother sleeps with the policeman that Graham sleeps with as well and the best pert, no one knows what’s going on. And, his wife who comes across as much more intelligent than Graham and is also money wise, downplays herself for the sake of appearances with regards to both Graham and his mother.
The Ups and a Down
The stories are certainly interesting with the first exploring voyeurism from an elder woman’s perspective, and the second coming across as a relationship farce. They are well paced for the most part, except when the actual sexual scenes take place, I felt that these are rushed. The narrative is tight and beautifully balanced. Especially engaging is the dialogue, which is quick, revealing and life-like, basically a joy to read as one would expect from a successful playwright.
The one factor I had trouble with in this book is the way the themes are introduced. They are dropped in there in a matter-of-fact fashion and I’m expected to take this on board and continue with the story. The problem is that these are sudden and jarring. Reading ‘The Greening of Mrs Donaldson’, there is no way I could see the direction the story was going to take. While this is generally an excellent trait in a story, here it failed to convince me and it became an element bordering on sensationalism. The end result is that the story lacks credibility. I think if Bennett had expanded these stories some more and exposed more about the characters and their backgrounds and, perhaps even steered us towards these themes, they would have maintained their credibility, even in the farcical nature of ‘The Shielding of Mrs Forbes’.
Final Thoughts
Nevertheless, it’s an excellent little book to read. It’s entertaining, surprising and well written. The second story is more to my taste; I find it refreshing to read a farce about relationships of this caliber.
I’ll be looking out for more of his books in the near future.
The first story is about a widow, Mrs Donaldson, who works part time in a university hospital as a patient (acting out symptoms) for students to figure out as part of their studies. She also rents out a room in her house to a student couple and when they fall behind in their rent, they approach her with the proposition to let her watch them having intercourse. She agrees and to her surprise, discovers how enjoyable the act of voyeurism is. Later on the students move out and another couple want to move in (friends of the previous tenants) who then hint at the possibility of… Yes, the question is what will Mrs Donaldson do? I’ll not spoil it further and my excuses for having revealed this much already but it is necessary for a point I want to make later.
The second story is about a gay man, Graham Forbes, who’s basically a mama’s boy, only think posh, British and stuck-up. He marries a rich woman to keep up appearances. {*Spoiler alert!} His stepfather sleeps with his daughter-in-law (Graham’s wife), his mother sleeps with the policeman that Graham sleeps with as well and the best pert, no one knows what’s going on. And, his wife who comes across as much more intelligent than Graham and is also money wise, downplays herself for the sake of appearances with regards to both Graham and his mother.
The Ups and a Down
The stories are certainly interesting with the first exploring voyeurism from an elder woman’s perspective, and the second coming across as a relationship farce. They are well paced for the most part, except when the actual sexual scenes take place, I felt that these are rushed. The narrative is tight and beautifully balanced. Especially engaging is the dialogue, which is quick, revealing and life-like, basically a joy to read as one would expect from a successful playwright.
The one factor I had trouble with in this book is the way the themes are introduced. They are dropped in there in a matter-of-fact fashion and I’m expected to take this on board and continue with the story. The problem is that these are sudden and jarring. Reading ‘The Greening of Mrs Donaldson’, there is no way I could see the direction the story was going to take. While this is generally an excellent trait in a story, here it failed to convince me and it became an element bordering on sensationalism. The end result is that the story lacks credibility. I think if Bennett had expanded these stories some more and exposed more about the characters and their backgrounds and, perhaps even steered us towards these themes, they would have maintained their credibility, even in the farcical nature of ‘The Shielding of Mrs Forbes’.
Final Thoughts
Nevertheless, it’s an excellent little book to read. It’s entertaining, surprising and well written. The second story is more to my taste; I find it refreshing to read a farce about relationships of this caliber.
I’ll be looking out for more of his books in the near future.
September 4, 2011
Bennet is always a delight. He's one of those authors that can slip the most powerful pathos and profundity in the seemingly mundane. Even without being his greatest works, the two stories in Smut are a joy to read contain enough nuggets of classic Bennet observations to be well worth the read. I read some criticisms that for a book called Smut, the stories really were quite tame. I think that misses the point entirely, and misses what the word smut actually means. Smut isn’t full on outrageous debauchery, it’s classic old fashioned middle class disdain of seamy activities, which is exactly what these delightful stories explore. Not getting the concept of smut, is not getting what Bennet is driving at all. Far from being the cliched story of vicious self-serving depravity hiding being the seeming respectability of English net curtains, Smut is about mildness - a mild kind of depravity that sneaks up on you by stealth simply because it doesn’t seem so bad, and it's feels like the best way out of emotionally and socially challenging circumstances. These stories are a pleasure - a mild pleasure - but not less satisfying for being that.
July 12, 2012
In The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, an average English widow takes in two lodgers, a young couple. When they can't pay the rent, they offer her another, very different type of payment. Outside the home, she volunteers as a "sick" person for medical residents, becoming quite adept at donning any disease or disorder. She's blooming in a way, and escaping her "true" self, whoever that is.
In The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, her only beloved child, Graham, perfect in looks and smarts, hides a secret life from her and her husband. He continues to do so when he marries Betty, much maligned by his mother. Betty, however (with secrets of her own), with the help of her father-in-law (with his secrets), saves Graham from ruin and catastrophe. What none of them know is that Mrs. Forbes has always known Graham's secret, but then gains one of her own. Are you keeping up with this? Both stories unravel with nary a shout or yell, but civilly and stoically, the British way, apparently.
In The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, her only beloved child, Graham, perfect in looks and smarts, hides a secret life from her and her husband. He continues to do so when he marries Betty, much maligned by his mother. Betty, however (with secrets of her own), with the help of her father-in-law (with his secrets), saves Graham from ruin and catastrophe. What none of them know is that Mrs. Forbes has always known Graham's secret, but then gains one of her own. Are you keeping up with this? Both stories unravel with nary a shout or yell, but civilly and stoically, the British way, apparently.
May 2, 2015
Although the two stories in this book aren't really all that smutty they are rather humorous and enjoyable and show Bennett skill as a writer and ability to create believable and strangely loveable characters really well. The first story tells of Mrs Donaldson, a widow in her mid-fifties as she tries to make ends meet and finds herself with a couple of lodgers who open her eyes to the pleasures of life that she has been missing out on, even if he doesn't get to join in completely. The second tells of the Forbes family, the lies they tell each other and themselves while trying to keep up appearances. Both stories are fairly short but pack a lot in and flow well with plenty of dry humour and interesting characters to keep your interest and make you want to know how things work out.
July 9, 2012
Not as salacious as the title suggests but it did help me stay awake on the plane. Really lovely writing though I still have trouble imagining such seemingly milquetoast people have such racy secret lives. Isn't everyone nice and boring and non-duplicitous like me?
February 19, 2020
An absolute delight. So beautifully crafted as only Alan Bennett can do.
If you’re in the market for a couple of wonderfully obscure tales, you could not do better than a rainy afternoon with these.
If you’re in the market for a couple of wonderfully obscure tales, you could not do better than a rainy afternoon with these.
January 26, 2025
«Mi dispiace» disse. «Forse dovevamo prendere una pasticca; Gerry si sarebbe rilassata di più. Per lei com'è stato? ».
«Bello» rispose Mrs Donaldson, cortese.
« Mi è piaciuto. Vi ringrazio molto».
«Non so se valeva la cifra» continuò lui.
Ollie si coprì con il lenzuolo.
«E se dovesse paragonarci con Andy e Laura? ».
«Secondo me» disse Mrs Donaldson « loro l'avevano già fatto. Davanti a qualcuno, intendo».
«Veramente? Per noi è stata la prima volta. Se ne sarà accorta. Sembravamo impacciati? ».
«No, no. Anzi, la cosa più piacevole è stata proprio la genuinità».
«E Andy? Faccia un paragone tra me e lui, come dotazione».
«Oh, credo che siamo lì» disse Mrs Donaldson. Ma stava mentendo. Poi le scappò: « Dovrei vederli vicini».
«Be', adesso non esageriamo».
3,5⭐️ Davvero due storie sporche nel vero senso della parola 😂 devo dire che mi sono divertita molto a leggerle entrambe (la prima un po’ più carina della seconda), se volete farvi due risate con questo libro di Alan riuscite benissimo
«Bello» rispose Mrs Donaldson, cortese.
« Mi è piaciuto. Vi ringrazio molto».
«Non so se valeva la cifra» continuò lui.
Ollie si coprì con il lenzuolo.
«E se dovesse paragonarci con Andy e Laura? ».
«Secondo me» disse Mrs Donaldson « loro l'avevano già fatto. Davanti a qualcuno, intendo».
«Veramente? Per noi è stata la prima volta. Se ne sarà accorta. Sembravamo impacciati? ».
«No, no. Anzi, la cosa più piacevole è stata proprio la genuinità».
«E Andy? Faccia un paragone tra me e lui, come dotazione».
«Oh, credo che siamo lì» disse Mrs Donaldson. Ma stava mentendo. Poi le scappò: « Dovrei vederli vicini».
«Be', adesso non esageriamo».
3,5⭐️ Davvero due storie sporche nel vero senso della parola 😂 devo dire che mi sono divertita molto a leggerle entrambe (la prima un po’ più carina della seconda), se volete farvi due risate con questo libro di Alan riuscite benissimo
September 18, 2022
I really enjoyed both of these funny and surprising stories, they make for a perfect cosy afternoon’s reading. I’d made up my mind before I started that I wasn’t going to like them (book club choice) so the fact that they changed my mind says a lot!
June 11, 2012
“Smut: two unseemly stories” is, as the title suggests, an omnibus of two short stories by English author and actor, Alan Bennett. The first story is The Greening of Mrs Donaldson. Mrs Donaldson, recently widowed, finds herself a little short on cash and decides to take a student couple as lodgers. When they find themselves unable to pay the rent, they come to a novel arrangement with their landlady. Mrs Donaldson’s other source of income is working as a Simulated Patient in medical student training; she becomes so talented at this that the consequences are almost grave. Bennett provides the reader with plenty of laugh out loud moments; the dialogue is oftimes dryly witty and occasionally hilarious. Full of understated British humour.
The second story is The Shielding of Mrs Forbes. When Graham Forbes decides to marry Betty Greene, Muriel Forbes’s objections are manifold: name, age, looks, religion and something else she hasn’t mentioned. Edwards Forbes has no such objections, wondering only if his fastidious son has “done it” with Betty yet. As more of their private lives is revealed (and I found that somewhat reminiscent of Maupin’s Tales of the City), we learn that everyone is intent on shielding Mrs Forbes to safeguard her innocence. According to Alan Bennett, there is a lot more promiscuity in staid British households than you or I were ever aware. Very entertaining.
These two stories are at least as funny as his earlier work, The Uncommon Reader, if in a completely different vein. I really enjoyed them.
The second story is The Shielding of Mrs Forbes. When Graham Forbes decides to marry Betty Greene, Muriel Forbes’s objections are manifold: name, age, looks, religion and something else she hasn’t mentioned. Edwards Forbes has no such objections, wondering only if his fastidious son has “done it” with Betty yet. As more of their private lives is revealed (and I found that somewhat reminiscent of Maupin’s Tales of the City), we learn that everyone is intent on shielding Mrs Forbes to safeguard her innocence. According to Alan Bennett, there is a lot more promiscuity in staid British households than you or I were ever aware. Very entertaining.
These two stories are at least as funny as his earlier work, The Uncommon Reader, if in a completely different vein. I really enjoyed them.
March 26, 2012
Just finished "Smut".
Get a kick out of the title--nothing like going to my local library, where a copy of the book was being held for me behind a busy counter, and being asked for the title by a busy assistant in front of a line of people (I gave him the author's name!). Here it is 2012, my community's library is active, modern, and well-run, and I balked at calling out "Smut!" in front of eight people!
Anyway, did enjoy this. It's the first thing I've read by Bennett. Although, overall, I was somewhat disappointed. Heard Bennett interviewed on Public Radio, which is how I learned about the book, and came away from that with an impression of the stories that exceeded my reading experience...
I do admire his brevity, conciseness, crispness. Makes sense, Bennett is as much a playwright as story writer. But as a story writer, I wanted him to open up, relax a bit, deepen his narratives. They ran slickly for my taste, and left me melancholy.
Well, what can you expect from a slim little book purporting to be about mid-life women written by a British male playwright??
I've also wondered why so slim, so brief a book? Who writes a 'collection' of stories that consists of two?
Somehow I've been left feeling chilly, and the sun shines brightly outside...
(Addendum--After just watching the spot-on and very funny youtube vid of Bennett on his bio page here on Goodreads definitely want to look up more of his work. Somehow, Smut, just didn't satisfy!)
Get a kick out of the title--nothing like going to my local library, where a copy of the book was being held for me behind a busy counter, and being asked for the title by a busy assistant in front of a line of people (I gave him the author's name!). Here it is 2012, my community's library is active, modern, and well-run, and I balked at calling out "Smut!" in front of eight people!
Anyway, did enjoy this. It's the first thing I've read by Bennett. Although, overall, I was somewhat disappointed. Heard Bennett interviewed on Public Radio, which is how I learned about the book, and came away from that with an impression of the stories that exceeded my reading experience...
I do admire his brevity, conciseness, crispness. Makes sense, Bennett is as much a playwright as story writer. But as a story writer, I wanted him to open up, relax a bit, deepen his narratives. They ran slickly for my taste, and left me melancholy.
Well, what can you expect from a slim little book purporting to be about mid-life women written by a British male playwright??
I've also wondered why so slim, so brief a book? Who writes a 'collection' of stories that consists of two?
Somehow I've been left feeling chilly, and the sun shines brightly outside...
(Addendum--After just watching the spot-on and very funny youtube vid of Bennett on his bio page here on Goodreads definitely want to look up more of his work. Somehow, Smut, just didn't satisfy!)
March 3, 2014
(A free book from work, not one I would have chosen off the shelves myself.)
I never cease to be amazed (and, invariably, vaguely depressed) at men's depictions or ideas (fantasies) of women's sexuality. Who are these women, allegedly so "honestly depicted", as some blurb reads? I can't help but wonder why some authors think it such a good idea to write about things of which they appear to have no notion. These two tales, while certainly well written on the level of the language itself, with quite a few very good turns of phrase, are ludicrous fantasy plots, and lacking all believability also end up lacking interest for me.
And when on earth are they supposed to take place? There is mention of Pete Doherty in one of the tales, so I'm assuming the setting is meant to be somewhat contemporary, but a 55-year-old widow wears stockings with a suspender belt and has her grey hair neatly curled every evening. The 55-year-olds I know wear jeans and run marathons - this sounds like a throw-back to the 1970s notion of being 50-something. The marriage politics of all these couples are also straight out of the 60s or 70s (at the latest). Perhaps this kind of bizarre time travel is part of the fantasy element? Or perhaps Mr. Bennett lives in a peculiarly old-fashioned corner of the world where time while moving forward also has stood still for decades? Is it meant to qualify as a particularly subtle attempt at magic realism? I'm at a loss.
I never cease to be amazed (and, invariably, vaguely depressed) at men's depictions or ideas (fantasies) of women's sexuality. Who are these women, allegedly so "honestly depicted", as some blurb reads? I can't help but wonder why some authors think it such a good idea to write about things of which they appear to have no notion. These two tales, while certainly well written on the level of the language itself, with quite a few very good turns of phrase, are ludicrous fantasy plots, and lacking all believability also end up lacking interest for me.
And when on earth are they supposed to take place? There is mention of Pete Doherty in one of the tales, so I'm assuming the setting is meant to be somewhat contemporary, but a 55-year-old widow wears stockings with a suspender belt and has her grey hair neatly curled every evening. The 55-year-olds I know wear jeans and run marathons - this sounds like a throw-back to the 1970s notion of being 50-something. The marriage politics of all these couples are also straight out of the 60s or 70s (at the latest). Perhaps this kind of bizarre time travel is part of the fantasy element? Or perhaps Mr. Bennett lives in a peculiarly old-fashioned corner of the world where time while moving forward also has stood still for decades? Is it meant to qualify as a particularly subtle attempt at magic realism? I'm at a loss.
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