Q was our external on the MA course's first year. I remember calling out on that day the word "Windows!" in a way only I could have known related to Watford's deputy head, the ghastly Herbert Lister. I had done this all my life, as a private joke. "Ah," says Quentin, "Herbert Lister..." I was thunderstruck. But his writing partner John Yeoman was of course a teacher at the school.

Quentin Blake was always my exemplar talking about, teaching Image and Text, pacing and content. The extended interview with him on Youtube confirms the texture of his life, his skills and essential modesty. This section of my Narrative Website started in 1995, is dedicated to his genius. Watching him draw is a thrill akin to watching Eval Knieval.