The Year of the Jouncer

The Year of the Jouncer

by SimonGray (Author)

Synopsis

As a baby, Simon Gray discovered that he could move his pram while still nestling inside it. 'It was a complete mystery to the adult intelligences, how had he done it, if it was he who had done it, but if not he, who then and why? So the next afternoon they (Mummy and Nanny) planted the pram in the usual spot, and stood over it, watching - the baby lay there smiling or snivelling up at them, until it struck them that they should try observing the baby when unobserved by the baby, and they withdrew behind bushes and trees etc; and thus witnessed the swaying of the pram, then the juddering of the pram, then its slow, unsteady progress along the path, the movement accompanied by a low humming and keening sound from within that reminded them more of a dog than a human...jouncing was the word they used for it. I was a jouncer therefore.' In these, the latest chronicles of triumph and disaster from the celebrated author of The Smoking Diaries , Gray intertwines scenes from his adult and his childish self to produce a brilliant and moving counterpoint of life's unsteady progress.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 282
Edition: 1st
Publisher: Granta Books
Published: 02 Jan 2006

ISBN 10: 1862078963
ISBN 13: 9781862078963

Media Reviews
'The funniest book I read this year was Simon Gray's The Smoking Diaries' Julian Barnes, Guardian Books of the Year
Author Bio
Simon Gray was awarded a CBE in the 2005 New Years Honours list. He is the author of over 30 plays, including Butley (1971), The Common Pursuit (1984) and Cell Mates (1995). He has published several volumes of diaries and books about the theatre, including The Smoking Diaries, Enter a Fox and Fat Chance all published by Granta. He lives in London.