Me

by Byron Rogers

Byron Rogers' biographies of the maverick literary figures J. L. Carr and R.S. Thomas drew dazzling critical acclaim from both fans and reviewers. His singular insight into the lives of these men was undoubtedly derived from Rogers' own bizarre, whimsical disposition. For such a wildcard as Byron Rogers, the search to deliver a suitable encore could only lead one himself. The story of The Authorised Biography begins several years ago, when the author started receiving letters forwarded to him by his then-employer, the Daily Telegraph Magazine. But these weren't the usual readers' letters. These were passionate, erotic love letters. They were also from women he'd never met. But they seemed to know all about him, the illustrious journalist...Rogers' quest to find out about this other Mr Rogers - not your normal kind of imposter, but one who did you the double-edged favour of spreading far and wide your undeserved reputation as a sexual voyageur - is what sets off this strange and hilarious memoir. With seemingly nothing else for it, Byron embarks on a journey to track down this talented imposter and learn his startling fate. The result is this uncategorisable and wonderful book -part hilarious, wistful and outrageous memoir, part detective story. Me is one of the most charming and certainly one of the oddest, memoirs you'll ever read.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Byron Rogers is a Welsh journalist, essayist and biographer. In August, 2007 the University of Edinburgh awarded him the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the best biography published in the previous year, for The Man Who Went Into the West: The Life of RS Thomas. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said of the book: "Byron Rogers's lively and affectionate biography is unexpectedly, even riotously, funny."

Born and raised in Carmarthen, he now lives in Northamptonshire. He has written for Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian, and was once speech writer for the Prince of Wales. It has been written of his essays that he is "a historian of the quirky and forgotten, of people and places other journalists don't even know exist or ignore if they do".

Reviews

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most unusual autobiographies I've read. I haven't read that many but this one stands out from the rest because of what I would call its quirky content. Not a straight up autobiography by any means and perhaps one that appeals more to readers from the British Isles. I thoroughly enjoyed parts of the book, in particular, his early childhood years in Wales, his friendship with Len Doherty at the Sheffield Star, and his mother's and father's last years. These were quite memorable. Much of the rest was, for me, a bit of a miss. There were some very amusing anecdotes here and there but overall I didn't share much of the author's sense of humor. Unfortunately, I also found a few chapters just plain dull, while others were pretty much beyond my comprehension i.e. chapter 10 and the segment on the Old Red Lion. This was likely due to my lack of familiarity with British or Welsh social customs and culture in the decades and locations being discussed. My apologies to Byron for that.

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a wonderful thing. I recently read a novel called "A Month in the Country" by J.L. Carr The book was first published in 1980, won the Guardian Fiction Prize that year, and was also nominated for the Booker Prize. It is also a masterpiece and you should read it. I then read another - very different - book by JL Carr based on his years as a head teacher called "The Harpole Report". It was very good. I was now intrigued by JL Carr, and so I read a biography called "The Last Englishman: The Life of J. L. Carr" written by his friend, the journalist and writer Byron Rogers. The biography was excellent, and reading it prompted me to look at other books by Byron Rogers. So, a few weeks later, I read "Me: The Authorised Biography".

The first thing to say is it's a wonderful autobiography. Whilst only half way through, I bought a copy for my Welsh brother-in-law. I concluded that the only thing that might make it more enjoyable would be a Welsh ancestry for added resonance and recognition. That said, although Byron Rogers calls it an autobiography, much of the book is devoted to other people. The first chapter quite brilliantly describes how, in the 1980s, Byron Rogers started to receive lurid and explicit letters from women who were in awe of his sexual prowess. A man, with a case full of Bryon Rogers' press clippings, was passing himself off as Byron Rogers. From this surreal and amusing opening, the book rewinds back to Byron Roger's childhood and then, over the course of the rest of the book, meanders back to old age.

The main theme is just how much things have changed in a generation or three. This is a topic that always fascinates me. The book is full of wonderful vignettes that illustrate this change. These include growing up in a staunchly methodist family in the 1950s; being educated in a Carmarthen grammar school; working on a regional newspaper; working for The Times and the Telegraph; writing speeches for Prince Charles; characters in his local pub; the life and death of an eccentric friend; and so on. Every page contains a strange incident, or a hilarious anecdote, or a bizarre image. It's a very enjoyable read. The only criticism I can find to level is that the book is a bit incoherent and goes off on all kinds of tangents, however that didn't impinge on my enjoyment and I will definitely be reading more books by Byron Rogers.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, always enjoyed Byron Rogers' columns. This "autobiography" is presented in a series of sections from different parts of his life, not really quite the usual linear thing, and it includes quite a bit of material which you might have come across before in his various writings, but organised and drawn together here. He is always very observant, funny, and particularly good on things Welsh, with sharp throw-away lines you might miss if not tuned in to his wavelength, which I am. I read this pretty much straight through with much pleasure. Two things which ought to be changed if there is ever a reprint: it is birth, not death, which is associated with copulation (I hope); and he has got his Calvinistic and Wesleyan Methodists mixed up in one place (this might only matter in Wales, though). Gwych.

[Liam Guilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with 'Awarning to the Curious'.

'Autobiographies are misleading.'
Contrasting the flunet linear narrative with the reality of what happens when anyone looks back over a life, Rogers wrote, 'What he remembers are moments, people, incidents...such things are jagged, vivid, most of them having no conneciton with each other; but through them, with no order imposed, you get a sense of who, or what, once gave them meaning.'

The book is often laugh out loud funny. But it's also a record of a world that vanished in the lifetime of the writer and his generation. So you get humour, autobiography, and social history, all for the price of one book, which is a bargain.