Fame, The Shuttlecock

Some leave town. Others become obsessive. Yet others become abusive. And some write long articles in Tehelka bemoaning the lack of a literary culture.

Robert McCrum weighs in on the love-hate relationship between writers and reviewers, touching upon Samuel Johnson's advice: " 'Sir,' declared the good doctor, at his most majestic (and true): 'It is advantageous to an author that his book should be attacked as well as praised. Fame is a shuttlecock. If it be struck at only one end of the room, it will soon fall to the ground. To keep it up, it must be struck at both ends.' "