Posted by Robert Hill on April 03, 2006 at 01:35:43 from 195.92.168.163 user eclrh.
In Reply to: Re: Children's writers posted by Peter H on April 01, 2006 at 20:38:36:
As Tarboard regulars will know, I'm something of a Harry Potter fan. I'm also a big Linda Smith fan and was much saddened by the news of her death. I hadn't known she was ill - she took care that the general public didn't know. In 2002 a poll of Radio 4 listeners voted her the wittiest living person. She has given me much delight over several years on programmes like the News Quiz.
Her views about adults who read Potter, and some of her other pet hates, as expressed in Room 101, had previously been aired (in strikingly similar words) on the News Quiz. Any regular listener to that show has to learn to be a bit thick-skinned. The contributors are frequently scathing, and by the law of averages they will from time to time tread on the toes of any given listener.
I think what she said about adult Potter readers represented her real views. It's sad that nobody will now be able to discuss them further with her.