Father! Father! Burning Bright

by Alan Bennett

Alan Bennett's second story. This time, set in the 1970s, in classic Bennett country, Yorkshire. 'On the many occasions Midgley had killed his father, death had always come easily. He died promptly, painlessly and without a struggle. Looking back, Midgley could see that even in these imagined deaths he had failed his father. It was not like him to die like that. Nor did he.' Midgley is determined to deny his father a last occasion to be disappointed in him. He will do the right thing and sit by his father's bed-side in Intensive Care until he dies. But, even when he is unconscious, his father manages to make Midgley's life a misery. This is another classic story by Alan Bennett, with brilliant portraits of social hypocrisy and stifling family relationships.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Contemporary, Plays

94 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2000

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Olaf Gütte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zwei Vater-Sohn Beziehungen, gespickt mit Humor und Traurigkeit.
Alan Bennett geht immer!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play is a new one on me and I really enjoyed it. The main character Midgley is a very morose chap, he has never lived his life, he is married to a woman who hates him, he is distant from his own son and feels he has always let his father down. When his father has a stroke and is in hospital in a coma on his death-bed, Midgley decides he will wait by his side to be with him at the end, he is determined to not let down his dad this time.

Even though the book is set in the ICU surrounded by grief there are still quite a few laughs here...none of them by Midgley...and that's the great part about this book, Midgley is a brilliant straight man, throughout he keeps his composure whilst his family cause chaos.

I do have one issue, it would have been much better if it was longer, there isn't the time for Midgley's relationship with the nurse to develop properly, you're just left having to accept things have happened. Still, it was a good read and I'd love to see this on stage.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Father! Father! Burning Bright' (1999) - another one of Alan Bennett's brilliant short stories/novelettes.

Once again, a pitch perfectly executed observation of everyday life and human relationships - wryly amusing, knowing, touching and entirely believable story of the dutiful Dennis and his extended hospital visit to attend his dying father Frank.

Excellent throughout - recommended.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ironic tale of a father and son and their fraught relationship.
As his father lies dying his son is determined out of guilt to sit by his bedside til the end.
Unhappy in his life, his work, his marriage he ponders on his merits as a person so symbolically as his father's life is ending so also is his own life as he goes on a voyage of self discovery by having an affair with a nurse on the ward.
Will this help him with all his issues? Will he be there at the very end for his father to assuage his guilt over their distant relationship?
Well written and runs the gamut of human emotions.
Reminiscent, character wise of some of his Talking heads monologues.
A great read.

[Prince Faisal II · Rating 1 out of 5]

could not finish, badly written.

[Kariss Ainsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't beat bennet

[Chilli Power · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Alan Bennett and have enjoyed everything I’ve read of his. However, this was incredibly boring. I’m glad it was so short. Really this is 1.5 star. Sorry Alan, I adore you x

[Mr Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Midgley' might well have just become my favourite character name of all time. There have of course been many memorable literary names (Ebenezer Scrooge, Veruca Salt, Lyra Belacqua, Lady Brett Ashley... ) and, to this fine list, Bennett's beaten down secondary school teacher can now be added. His whole character trajectory is signposted from the opening sentence, in which the fifth word plays its expository part beautifully: 'On the many occasions Midgley had killed his father, death had always come easily.'

I love and admire writing with such wit and economy. This is tragicomedy at its best and, if as an adult you've had a father die on you, or you are hoping (appropriately) for something similar in the fullness of time, you'll laugh and cry in recognition at the human truths wryly and warmly dramatised here. You'll also do the same if you've ever been married. Or been a frustrated husband. Or been frustrated by a husband. (Or been a teacher at a parent-teacher meeting... )

And the bathos at the end? A perfect finish to 59 near-perfect pages.

[Terra · Rating 4 out of 5]

ho scaricato questo libro sul kindle senza guardare quanto fosse lungo. ora lo so: meno di un viaggio da milano a lisbona. però è bello, un bennett diverso da quelli che ho già letto (almeno tre, forse di più) ma spassoso e cinico. viene da pensare, questi personaggi sono delle macchiette, troppo grotteschi. se però rifletti un po' ti vengono in mente vere persone uguali uguali, conosciute qua e là e preferibilmente non frequentate.

[Mrs L A Finlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling

Poor Midgely. We all know one. Under the thumb, no say, no authority. Even his wife has claimed the eponymous Father. But as he waits for dad to die we meet the people around Denis and realise he's not all bad. Beautifully controlled writing. A quick and satisfying read.

[Keith Astbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Father! Father! Burning Bright is based on Alan Bennett's 1980's TV play Intensive Care which I watched many years ago. Bennett has such a great way with words - the way he casually throws in the odd deliciously vicious barb is the stuff of genius. This tiny novella says so much about real life and human emotion in just 90 odd little pages.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good short play from Alan Bennett. Funny in parts and sad in others.

[Nicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing ...not a great read. Expected more.

[David Highton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a well observed episode, with an underlying wry look at the world and human experience

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

What we have here is a story that follows a curmudgeonly old man as he’s on his death bed in the hospital. But his death isn’t all that simple, and meanwhile there’s a baby due in the family.

[Pam Strachan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem. Short, but so moving.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

As could be expected, this short story by Alan Bennett is competently written, with his customary pathos-laden prose, but feels under-developed at times with several characters acting true to the cyphers they portray with little depth or development. As the introduction explains, the story is an adaptation of the script Bennett himself wrote for the BBC television play 'Intensive Care' - it was written by Bennett to help the director of the piece better understand Bennett's vision. The TV version was produced in 1982 while this prose version was first published in 1999. When reading it, I double-checked these dates a few times as it felt like something that surfaced no later than 1975, if not a decade a so previously, as many of the characters and the situations they find themselves in don't really 'feel' like they came from the 80s/90s. This plays out in one particular way in the text: the treatment of Black/Asian characters. Their appearance is fleeting and reflects some prevailing Caucasian attitudes from the latter half of the 20th century and, to modern readers, is jarring and, for me, spoiled what, otherwise, would have been a reasonably enjoyable diversion into the foibles of Yorkshire families as typically portrayed in Bennett's material. As such, this story doesn't get my whole-hearted recommendation - while it is an easy and generally engaging read, it is not peak Bennett and is best treated as a cautionary curiosity - a footnote to a long-forgotten BBC production and indicator of a time long-gone.

[P Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve long been a fan of Alan Bennett’s plays and books and Father father burning bright was no exception. I felt sorry for the character Midgley the bored school teacher facing his fathers impending death who camped outside the hospital and still had a sense of humour. I loved the northern humour and had a chuckle to myself. Alan Bennett’s books always a heartwarming read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Bennett has such a wonderful command of the English language and exhibits a lot of humour at unexpected places.

Although the number of pages in the book is small, it is quality throughout and I expect writing a more wordy tone would reduce the impact.

[Carol Killaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Bennett

You can hear his voice like a monologue all the way through.
Midgely is an unlikely hero but such a real person.

[Lynne Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satirical look at life/death

A satirical look at life and death in the typical Alan Bennett fashion.

An enjoyable short read for all his fans.

[Plum · Rating 4 out of 5]

superb writing

[Mr John W Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Alan Bennett

Sad emotionless , very observing of the hum drum of human existence. Literary extension of Rob Wilton and Les Dawson

[Graham Sillars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another example of what Alan Bennett does best… write about people and humans mature and… misery!

I loved it!

[m larkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Alan Bennett

As always beautifully observed and
gently poignantly humorous. If you love Alan Bennett don't mess around, just buy this book.

[Nataliec7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad for a very short story. 1st Bennett I’ve read and based on this would read more from him.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dated, but nicely observed.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Alan Bennett. What more do you need to know?

[Ben Huxley]

A short tragicomic tale of grief and mortality. Told by a master of storytelling.

[Susan LAVERTY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Version good read

This book hold your attention all the way threw written in the same vain as The Lady in the van I would recommend this book