I have heard from Rosemary Shipton, who has kindly agreed to act as my editor on the new memoir, at least until she can’t stand it any more and runs screaming into the night. She read a very rough first draft and had many valuable things to say. Mostly that the first half does not work – scattered, self-centred and boring, was the gist – but the second half is much better. It needs work on structure, on social, political and personal context, on tone, on character development, on plot, on focus.

Otherwise, good to go.

What a gift, what a godsend. I had reached the point where I was buried and discouraged and couldn’t see the light. Now I think I can see, a bit more clearly, where I have to go and what I have to do. I could not be more grateful, even as I go back to the beginning and start again.

My student Bruno just sent this – the moving story of one immigrant family which is also the story of millions of families.