Sisters ...

... Why Margaret Drabble is not A S Byatt's cup of tea. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Sir Michael Holroyd, Miss Drabble's husband, tells me, however, not to read too much into it. "People think the feud is a lot worse than it really is," he says.

I think Sir Michael is right. When I interviewed A.S. Byatt some years ago I was warned not to bring her sister up. I didn't, but later on, when we had dinner together, she did. My impression was that, while the two weren't great friends, neither was there any great animosity toward Margaret on Antonia's part.