A Man of Understanding by Diana Janney (COGITO Publishing) was the Runner-Up in The People’s Book Prize (Fiction) 2023. Diana has received international acclaim for her writing, which combines her philosophical knowledge with her wit, poetry and keen observation of human nature.
Set in the mountains of Mallorca, A Man of Understanding is about poet-philosopher Horatio Hennessy and his recently orphaned grandson Blue whom, mysteriously, he has never met. It is an uplifting story, interlaced with philosophy, poetry and love, that encourages the reader to reflect on the meaning of loss and the ways in which we can grow from the experience.
Diana has kindly shared an extract with us today which I do hope you enjoy.
[ About A Man of Understanding ]
It takes a man of understanding to rebuild a shattered soul; a man with a deep grasp of philosophy and poetry, a man who can nurture and inspire an enquiring mind, a man with the wit and humour to bring the world alive. That enigmatic man is Horatio Hennessy. His grandson Blue is that shattered soul.
Following the death of twelve-year-old Blue’s parents, his new home is a Finca in the mountains of Mallorca, with the grandfather he has never met before. But is Horatio up to the challenge, or is he merely trying, through Blue, to make good his past?
Gradually a bond evolves between them through a shared love of poetry and philosophy. But when secrets are uncovered, will understanding turn to misunderstanding? Will two souls be shattered this time?
A Man of Understanding – Purchase Link
[ Extract ]
My first evening in France was almost over. I wished
my parents had been able to share it with me, all of us
together like a real family should be. But Granga was my
family now. So if I had an important question on my mind
before I went to bed, then he was the person to take it to.
“Granga, there’s something I want to ask you.”
He looked hard into my eyes. I hesitated.
“Speak up, Blue! Or do you want me to guess? Is that it?”
He was growing impatient. I had to be brave like my
father.
“I was wondering why you never visited us, why I never
met you until . . . until now. I mean, I saw your reaction
when you mentioned my mother in your room, and I heard
the poem you wrote for her. So why didn’t you want to see
her, even if you weren’t interested in meeting me?”
I tried to look hard into his eyes, just like he’d looked
into mine. I had to observe him carefully before he spoke, I
had to savour his expressions slowly, like reading good poetry
– isn’t that what he’d taught me? The trouble was, I couldn’t
read anything in them. It was like looking at a page written
in a foreign language that no one had bothered to teach me.
“Dear Blue,” he said finally. “Do you truly believe I had
no desire to meet you, little man?”
Now I could read his expression – it wasn’t difficult. “I
didn’t mean to upset you, Granga. You don’t have to explain
if you don’t want to.”
We were alone now in the library. The only sound I could
hear was the ticking of a grandfather clock. Granga was
reflecting. He looked older when he wasn’t speaking.
Suddenly an answer to my question didn’t seem so important.
But I got one anyway – or sort of a one, or maybe not one
at all.
“We see others in many ways, Blue, not just with the eyes.
Our senses can be unreliable sometimes.”
“But haven’t you been teaching me how important our
senses are?”
He smiled at me warmly – that much was easy to understand.
“Bravo! You listen well for one of your few years. Our
senses are extremely important, yes. They take us on a journey,
a fascinating, colourful journey – but they are not a destination.”
“Then what is more reliable, Granga? Do you mean the
brain – thinking about someone? Is that more reliable?”
I frowned as I waited for him to explain.
“Recall in your imagination the Max Bruch violin concerto
you told me you loved to listen to with your Papa. Your ears
took you on that wonderful journey. But was it your brain
that told you how to love it? Is it an analysis of the notes that
remains in your memory . . . or is it something more than
this?”
He was urging me on with the expression in his small
restless eyes. I thought and thought until my face grew red
and hot. I wanted so much to find the right answer, his answer.
“Something more,” I agreed, afraid that I wouldn’t be
able to explain exactly what it was.
Granga nodded encouragingly. I grew more confident.
“I loved the music in my heart. I didn’t understand it all,
but that didn’t matter. It made me want to cry, like when
you lose someone special – or when you find someone you
thought you’d never find.”
Granga nodded knowingly. “You felt the music. It moved
your soul.” He patted the centre of his chest where his heart
was. “It’s still there, is it not, even without the actual music
playing in your ears? It’s hard to forget.”
“Yes,” I replied quietly, remembering.
Granga got to his feet. I feared he was leaving without
me, so I stood up too.
“I trust that answers your question, Blue.
[ About Diana Janney ]
The study of Philosophy is an important part of Diana Janney’s life, which shines through all her novels: The Choice, her first, The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose, her second, and A Man of Understanding, her third, which was the Runner-Up in the People’s Book Prize 2023, Fiction Category.
Diana has a strong background in the subject, having gained two degrees in Philosophy from University College, London, receiving a First for her postgraduate thesis on Kant and Hume, and three Scholarships.
Prior to going to University, having left school with an impressive number of O and A levels, she was a successful fashion model, represented by one of London’s leading model agencies. She was photographed for many high-fashion magazines (Vogue, Brides, Cosmopolitan etc), working with top photographers including David Bailey, Bardo Fabiani and Bill Ling, and appearing in fashion shows for designers such as Calvin Klein and Roland Klein. It gave her the opportunity to travel to many parts of the world on photographic assignments and for fashion shows, and to use her languages (she speaks French, German and Spanish).
Just after Diana left University, her father died. As an only child of parents who were both only children, his death was a tragic loss to Diana and her mother and left a huge void in their small family. The experience has influenced Diana’s writing, but not in a depressing, sombre way, as that would not do justice to the witty, positive man her father, a clergyman, had been.
That same year, she gained a place at the College of Law in London and converted to Law, receiving a Commendation. She then spent two years in the City at a top ten Commercial Law Firm. There she met her husband, who is a Commercial Property and Planning lawyer. She qualified as a solicitor in 1997. However, she didn’t find the work as stimulating as she had hoped, so she transferred to the Bar and practised as a barrister, having been called to the Bar (the Inner Temple) in 1997. She enjoyed her life as a barrister, finding it a more natural partnership with her philosophical training.
Yet she still sought something more – a way of expressing herself and her intellect creatively. So she decided to devote herself full-time to writing, a career which had appealed to her from being a child, although she never imagined back then that her words would be translated into several languages, read, quoted and enjoyed throughout the world, nor that people of all ages would be influenced and encouraged by them.
Diana has written poetry ever since her schooldays, when her first poems were published in the school magazine. She weaves her poetry into her novels in a way that has proved very popular with readers.
Website ~ https://www.dianajanney.com/
Instagram ~ https://www.instagram.com/dianajanneyauthor/
