Glimpses of the Famous

Lying in a hospital bed after a heart attack, unsure whether there would be a tomorrow, author Chris Heal retreated from the noise and intrusion of the ward. He played a private counting game. How many famous people had he met?

Later, to try to kick start his brain, Heal wrote this book containing short stories about seventy of the famous people he could recall, all personal moments, mostly fleeting, sometimes life-changing, always as truthful as memory allows, with humour and with no punches pulled.

How may famous people do you remember meeting?

What fun! What a life! I tried to count famous people I have met personally and didn’t get past twenty. Heal only writes about seventy of his ’famous’ casual contacts, but his actual count is well over one hundred.

Terrorists, politicians, sportsmen, business titans, sexual abusers, kings, religious leaders, artists – they’re all here and (almost) everyone is a delight to discover. Heal has a dry, self-deprecating and sometimes wicked sense of humour.

Many of these ‘moments’ are trivia in the best sense of the word, but this book is full of interest and surprise. A perfect read for the small hours.

This is a ‘dipping’ book. No encounter lasts more than a few pages. You can start anywhere and just follow your own inclinations. Loved it.