A niece, an uncle designed by Roald Dahl, and wisdom from Walter Benjamin

While I was at home with my parents last week, my niece (not the Welsh-speaking turncoat) stopped over for Saturday night. While she loves me as (she says) `my uncle from a Roald Dahl book, who’s never grown up and is naughtier than I am,’ I’m afraid certain aspects of my style leave her perplexed.