The greatest novel you have never read

Encouraged by Bryan Appleyard in the Sunday Times, who flagged up the American novelist John Williams’s Stoner, I have devoured it in the past two days. Appleyard tells us that it is “the greatest novel you have never read”, making out a compelling case for it.

First published in 1965, Stoner sank almost without trace before being exhumed in recent years, garnering both critical acclaim and substantial sales. Set in the American mid-West, it tells the story of an unremarkable academic, a professor of English literature. Beautifully structured and written, it is understated, yet deeply moving.

Unfortunately, Appleyard goes on to pronounce: “Stoner, in short, is unmarketable – always, in my view, a good sign.” Well, clearly, this is not so. If it were, the book would still be unknown to all but a few. All one can say with some certainty is that it was inadequately marketed at birth.

It’s quite common for British critics to take this sort of line. It’s so patronising – as though failure to sell is in some mysterious way a marker of excellence.

Best company to work for

This is the highest accolade in my book. Not just fastest growing or most profitable, though the winner usually is both of those. The Sunday Times researches the scene – 1,000 companies entered in 2011 - and publishes a “top 100” each year. In all this year 275,000 employees were surveyed.

So BRAVO to Brand Learning, third last year, but number one in the new list.

The company was started ten years ago by two Unilever executives, Andy Bird and Mhairi McEwan. Both of them were clients of mine in that previous existence. So I’ve always been aware of the special talents and values of the leadership team.

Brand Learning specialises in helping organisations build their marketing capabilities. Since the beginning, the company has had an average annual growth rate of 25%. Now they are looking for further expansion through international growth.

Watch this space.