David Hare is IMHO one of the great men of our time. Also, in my experience, one of the nicest (I knew him when I was a television critic in the 1980s and 1990s). Yet according to this Telegraph profile, he is racked by anger, guilt and low self-esteem.

Hmmm… Maybe what makes him such a valuable person is the fact that he is perpetually dissatisfied with himself. The real menaces are self-made men who worship their creator — like the late Noel Annan. An academic friend of mine was once seated next to him at a dinner. “How many honorary degrees do you have?” was Annan’s opening question. “Perhaps he was being ironic”, I said afterwards, when told about the exchange. “I don’t think so”, replied my friend.