On this day

Last year on Sour Grapes (there have been no other years on Sour Grapes) I locked myself into the duty of providing one quote every day on a particular theme, and soon found it such an onerous task I almost abandoned it, and was only saved by the ability to pre-write posts and arrange for them to be posted automagically on the day required.

So I'm anxious about the ability or determination of Brian Sholis to keep going on his new blog, Today in Letters. As the name suggests, and as the tagline makes clear, the aim is to provide "letters and diary entries from this day in literary history". It's going great so far, with entries on Alan Bennett, Pushkin, the Goncourts, Faulkner and Proust to name but a few (it's only been going since 8 January). I'll certainly be adding his feed to my feed thingy.

To give a taste, here's just a snippet of a diary extract from Alan Bennett:

• Even the most ordinary remark would be given her own particular twist, and she could be quite camp. Conversation had once turned, as conversation will, to forklift trucks. Feeling that industrial machinery might be remote from Cecil's sphere of interest I said: 'Do you know what a forklift truck is?' She looked at me. 'I do. To my cost.'

Classic Bennett. The ear is faultlessly tuned, but there's not only the found art of the lady's remarks, there's also that "as conversation will" which reminds you he was a colleague of Peter Cook.