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INTERVIEWERTell us, please, some anecdotes from courtroom life that were useful to you as a writer . . . memorable moments that opened your eyes to character, language, and other aspects of writing.
MORTIMER
I learned a lot about literature divorcing people, because nothing equips you more for a life in letters than a career in the divorce court. I learned first of all a very important lesson about English dialogue. I learned the importance of the sporting metaphor in English life, and I remember very well the case in which I learned that. I was appearing for an admiral . . . in those days in divorce law you had to ask your client when he’d last made love to his wife. It was very embarrassing but you had to ask. And there was I, about a twenty-five-year-old divorce barrister, and I said, “Admiral, could you just tell me please—it’s very embarrassing to have to ask you this—but when did you last make love to your wife?” It was then that I learned the importance of the sporting metaphor to the English. Because I’ll never forget his reply. He said, “Well, we batted on for the first three years,” he said, “but then we drew stumps.”
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