Who remembers details of conversations twenty years ago?

[tonywiltshire]

I have just finished reading Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan having gritted my teeth during his support for the IRA I was surprised by the apparent recall and detail of conversations nearly twenty years later. I do not keep notes and do not recall exactly who said what, and what they looked like when they said it.
Does anyone recall this level of detail from conversations?

[tonywiltshire]

Brendan Behan is a great writer but I do not believe anyone can remember this level of detail.

[sandyRoe]

I suppose he was exercising a bit of artistic license.

[tonywiltshire]

I think you must be right sandy but then there must be a lot of artistic license.

[cockneygirl]

I can remember things my dad said to me when I was a girl and the expression on his face as well, can remember my late husband talking to me, what chair he sat in etc his face, but not the clothes etc.

[The Builder]

Many writers keep a "commonplace book" on them, Tony. He may well have noted the conversation immediately afterwards.

[NOX]

Some conversations of thirty and forty years ago I can remember everything, the way the light was, smells, temperature the infleciton in somone's voice-whether they looked tired etc other conversations- not at all. I've read Borstal Boy and I don't consider anything to be particularly amazing about the recall in it, I think it's perfectly reasonable and nothing more than most of us can do.

[sandyRoe]

He was in borstal for a good part of the book, as I remember. He formed a good impression of the governor of the borstal. He wouldn't need to remember his exact words to give that sense to the reader.
I think he also mentioned that the landlady of the house where he was staying had her windows put in when it was discovered he was a bomber. He'd have been in custody then and couldn't have know what she said.
But I don't suppose it would take a literary genius to guess.

[tonywiltshire]

If you remember sandy he quotes exactly what was said and how they looked when they said it, twenty years later, all the time. I think it must be artistic licence or the use of a commonplace book, though cockneygirl and nox may not agree.

[sandyRoe]

It must be nearly 40 years since i read the book. If I can remember those details, only having read them, maybe Behan, having lived them, did remember.

[cockneygirl]

true

[DTCwordfan]

I use a mixture of both in my writing if I am using the 1st person - shortly on kindle......

[andy-hughes]

I spent an evening in Manchester with John Peel over twenty years ago, we did an interview, and then went out for dinner in Chinatown. i can remeber almost verbatim our conversation, although not the restaurant - but apparently he had that effect on most people who met him, such was his personally unacknowledged wit and charm. I also remember vividly conversations with my first serious girlfriend, over thirty-five years ago.

Some things just stick in your mind without concious effort.