Nick Harkaway

We had a moment where one of our teachers said, look, in five minutes, we're going to talk about the influence of...

Ludwig Brand on TS Eliot.

And we all looked at each other in absolute horror.

And he goes, no, there is no Ludwig Brand.

But there will come a moment in your life, whether it's professional or whether it's academic or whatever, when you have to answer a question you don't know the answer to.

And I will tell you right now, the best thing to do is say, I'm so sorry, I have absolutely no idea.

But there are contexts where you cannot do that.

And you are not leaving this building unable to counterfeit an answer.

Actually, incidentally, a really superb skill because also the other thing it teaches you is how to spot when someone else is doing it.

Well, the first thing that we were taught was you say, well, I think the really interesting thing about Brad is maybe not his direct influence on Elliot but the discussion with Pound.

And then you can talk about Pound and Elliot for as long as you like.

Exactly.

But then you look back at your interlocutor and they say, of course they do because they want to be polite and they want to be part of this interesting conversation.

And they say, well, yes, and of course, you know, Brand was also involved with, you know, with some of the other intellectuals in that circle and interestingly with a lot of visual artists.

Right.

And you bring up then whatever visual artist you want to do.

And little by little in the course of the conversation, you can get more information from them about brand.

And so by the end of the conversation, you can actually know enough to say something obvious, but nonetheless, which they will agree with because they've just told you, but overtly about brand and Elliot.

And then they think you're very clever.

I haven't had the opportunity to do it.