"I'd fancy another story," said Pooh.

At the end of the evening, David Benedictus gave a reading from his new book Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, which is a new collection of Christopher Robin stories authorized by the estate. From what he read of the book, I believe Benedictus must have discovered a lost manuscript or found a way to channel Milne from beyond the grave, because he has basically written another Milne book.

It's easy to copy an author's style, or to parody a long-standing, well-known work of literature, particularly children's literature, but it's difficult to continue an author's work without the text becoming self-conscious. Benedictus has balanced originality with homage in Return, the characters are alive and breathing eighty years on--Christopher Robin still the boy the animals adore although yet slightly older with a few new experiences from a far away place called school.



Return to the Hundred Acre Wood debuts in October, and I hope Oprah gets an advance copy beforehand.