Margaret Drabble
The best present I ever received was an antique mosaic ring with a view of the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, given by my agent, the late Pat Kavanagh, for the publication of my book The Pattern in the Carpet, which describes just such a ring. Pat was an inspired giver of gifts and it is a treasure. The worst was a worrying green jersey that didn’t fit but was too good to throw away. The best I ever gave was a beautiful red and orange chequered bath towel which I gave to my father one Christmas. He died in 1982 but I spotted the towel the other day in the house of one of my sons and it still looks good. The worst was a bottle of Poire William for a party given by a dangerous drinker. Eau de vie, eau de mort, what a stupid idea. It might have killed him.
Naomi Alderman
My best gift: the complete Tom Lehrer, when I was 20 and I'd never heard of Tom Lehrer. I learned "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" off by heart, a skill which still stands me in good stead.
My worst gift: none stands out, but gifting is a tricky process and there have been a lot that I've just quietly given to a charity shop. I favour just asking people what they want rather than creating more consumerist cruft. If you give people a broad list they can pick from then you'll get both a surprise and something you like.
Sam Knight
The best present I have ever received was a miniature colour television. I got it for Christmas when I was 12 or 13 years old. Santa had been dead for a long time; I was doubtful about God. In a flash of childish cynicism, I thought I had Christmas worked out: it was just the disgusting accumulation of material goods. I asked my parents for as many presents as they could bear to give me. Just spoil me, I said. Give me loads of stuff. I don't care. My father had been given the television (which never worked properly) at a conference. He put it in my stocking, at the top, so it was the first thing I opened in the pre-dawn quiet (I was still a child) of Christmas morning. I remember pulling it out and holding it in my hands in bed, stunned by the granting of my ugly wish. The guilt set in immediately. The day had not even begun.
More: Jemima Khan, Jon Snow and others tell Prospect about their best presents—and the worst—here
The best present I ever received was an antique mosaic ring with a view of the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, given by my agent, the late Pat Kavanagh, for the publication of my book The Pattern in the Carpet, which describes just such a ring. Pat was an inspired giver of gifts and it is a treasure. The worst was a worrying green jersey that didn’t fit but was too good to throw away. The best I ever gave was a beautiful red and orange chequered bath towel which I gave to my father one Christmas. He died in 1982 but I spotted the towel the other day in the house of one of my sons and it still looks good. The worst was a bottle of Poire William for a party given by a dangerous drinker. Eau de vie, eau de mort, what a stupid idea. It might have killed him.
Naomi Alderman
My best gift: the complete Tom Lehrer, when I was 20 and I'd never heard of Tom Lehrer. I learned "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" off by heart, a skill which still stands me in good stead.
My worst gift: none stands out, but gifting is a tricky process and there have been a lot that I've just quietly given to a charity shop. I favour just asking people what they want rather than creating more consumerist cruft. If you give people a broad list they can pick from then you'll get both a surprise and something you like.
Sam Knight
The best present I have ever received was a miniature colour television. I got it for Christmas when I was 12 or 13 years old. Santa had been dead for a long time; I was doubtful about God. In a flash of childish cynicism, I thought I had Christmas worked out: it was just the disgusting accumulation of material goods. I asked my parents for as many presents as they could bear to give me. Just spoil me, I said. Give me loads of stuff. I don't care. My father had been given the television (which never worked properly) at a conference. He put it in my stocking, at the top, so it was the first thing I opened in the pre-dawn quiet (I was still a child) of Christmas morning. I remember pulling it out and holding it in my hands in bed, stunned by the granting of my ugly wish. The guilt set in immediately. The day had not even begun.
More: Jemima Khan, Jon Snow and others tell Prospect about their best presents—and the worst—here
