Warwick’s review of How to End a Story: Collected Diaries 1978–1998 > Likes and Comments
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Thanks for this, Warwick. You've rehabilitated these diaries for me. I read half the first volume but the 'random splatter' plus the code names gave me nothing to hang onto so I let go. But I'm was interested in her and her thinking.
It's true that the story of her and V., which ends up feeling like the main event, doesn't really get going till the end of volume one. Then again, I absolutely loved Yellow Notebook when I first read it, so if it didn't work for you then maybe you'll feel differently about the whole project. By the way, I thought of you on the couple of occasions when Gerald Murnane is mentioned – he gets named directly, I think because they don't really know each other properly. Another who gets that treatment is Clive James, who puts in a wonderful scene-stealing cameo towards the end.
It's funny that - even as an Australian with an English degree - I'd never heard of Bail until the release of Garner's diaries, but of course I'd heard of her.
Yes, he's definitely dropped off the radar a bit. I was only vaguely aware of the name, but I don't think I've ever actually seen any of his books in a bookshop. He's published his own impressionistic memoir (He.) which came out after Garner started publishing her diaries, so I'm quite curious to know whether we see any reciprocal glimpses of Garner in that.
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Fionnuala
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Apr 30, 2026 03:24AM
Thanks for this, Warwick. You've rehabilitated these diaries for me. I read half the first volume but the 'random splatter' plus the code names gave me nothing to hang onto so I let go. But I'm was interested in her and her thinking.
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It's true that the story of her and V., which ends up feeling like the main event, doesn't really get going till the end of volume one. Then again, I absolutely loved Yellow Notebook when I first read it, so if it didn't work for you then maybe you'll feel differently about the whole project. By the way, I thought of you on the couple of occasions when Gerald Murnane is mentioned – he gets named directly, I think because they don't really know each other properly. Another who gets that treatment is Clive James, who puts in a wonderful scene-stealing cameo towards the end.
It's funny that - even as an Australian with an English degree - I'd never heard of Bail until the release of Garner's diaries, but of course I'd heard of her.
Yes, he's definitely dropped off the radar a bit. I was only vaguely aware of the name, but I don't think I've ever actually seen any of his books in a bookshop. He's published his own impressionistic memoir (He.) which came out after Garner started publishing her diaries, so I'm quite curious to know whether we see any reciprocal glimpses of Garner in that.
