John le Carré was born in October 1931, so he’s now 77 years old. He’s written 21 novels. Philip Roth was born in March 1933, so he’s now 75 years old. He’s written 25 novels. Both le Carré and Roth are world famous writers in their respective genres. I’ve read several books by each, and I’ve found them captivating and well written. Last October I read Indignation, Roth’s latest book. And this week I finished le Carré’s latest, A Most Wanted Man. Both books immensely disappointed me. To me they were boring, mundane, pedestrian, and unworthy of their authors’ reputations. Of course, as Dennis Miller says, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong. But if I’m not, whilst I don’t know the reason for this dramatic drop in writing quality, I’m inclined to attribute it to age. I think le Carré and Roth are both past their writing peak; probably well past it. They should’ve quit at the top of their game. And if they didn’t themselves know when that was, their publishers should’ve told them. Publishing substandard books by erstwhile superb writers insults their readers; and the writers too. It’s a pity. Me? I know I’m doing my best work now. And I’ll continue working until I realise, or someone tells me, I’m past my best. Or maybe I’ll recognise it when some lawyer decimates me on the witness stand. After that, I’ll have more time to read novels.
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