Biographies

Early in 1996, I met up with some fellow hacks and someone mentioned that so-and-so was working on Jacques Villeneuve’s biography. At the time, Jacques had enjoyed one terrific year in CART and had driven in three or four Grands Prix. I could not help but remark that it was not until seven years after his death that a biography of Gilles Villeneuve was published. I cannot become as enthusiastic about Jacques as I was about Gilles, it must be a fault.

After his first year in Formula One, Jenson Button published his autobiography. What sort of person wants to read the autobiography of someone aged 21? What has Button to impart to the world? Possibly there is a thrilling chapter on his potty training and another on how he dealt with acne. I don’t know, I have no intention of reading it. I still have not read all of Mark Twain, nearly there; am I going to waste time on Jenson Button?