Julian Barnes

First time I've really been seriously put out and given morphine and stuff like that, which is very interesting.

And then I get my 80th birthday, and then I get my book publication.

I can't remember a period of months when there's been so much going on.

So I'm still well alive and enjoying myself.

So would I.

Yes, I'm fine.

Yes, yes.

Yes, yes.

It was nearly six years ago.

It was when, just as they were locking down for COVID, first month or two of the year.

Yes, it came as a great shock.

It's a form of blood cancer which is quite rare.

I don't boast about that.

It just means it's hard to diagnose.

Well, there are about 500 cases a year in Britain of this sort of cancer.

So, yeah, I feel... Well, you can't feel proud of an illness, but I feel it's slightly different.

And they pick it up when you have a blood test for something else.

And so I had a routine blood test, and then my doctor called me up

about two mornings later and says, we haven't had your full results, but I want you to go straight to accident and emergency and tell them you've got a very high potassium reading.

So I went off and took various provisions from chocolate to cryptic crossword and so on.