Time For Lights Out
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- Create Date：2022-09-17 06:59:31
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Raymond Briggs
- ISBN：1787331954
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Summary
An extraordinary exploration of old age in words and pictures， by the much-loved author of The Snowman and Ethel & Ernest。
In his customary pose as the grumpiest of grumpy old men， Raymond Briggs contemplates old age and death… and doesn’t like them much。 Illustrated with Briggs’s inimitable pencil drawings， Time for Lights Out is a collection of short pieces， some funny， some melancholy， some remembering his wife who died young， others about life with his partner Liz， the joy of grandchildren， of walking the dog… He looks back at his schooldays and his time as an evacuee during the war， and remembers his parents and the house in which he grew up。 But some， like this one， are about his home in Sussex:
Looking round this house，
What will they say，
The future ghosts？
There must have been
Some barmy old bloke here，
Long-haired， artsy-fartsy type，
Did pictures for kiddy books
Or some such tripe。
You should have seen the stuff
He stuck up in that attic！
Snowman this and snowman that，
Tons and tons of tat。
In his customary pose as the grumpiest of grumpy old men， Raymond Briggs contemplates old age and death… and doesn’t like them much。 Illustrated with Briggs’s inimitable pencil drawings， Time for Lights Out is a collection of short pieces， some funny， some melancholy， some remembering his wife who died young， others about life with his partner Liz， the joy of grandchildren， of walking the dog… He looks back at his schooldays and his time as an evacuee during the war， and remembers his parents and the house in which he grew up。 But some， like this one， are about his home in Sussex:
Looking round this house，
What will they say，
The future ghosts？
There must have been
Some barmy old bloke here，
Long-haired， artsy-fartsy type，
Did pictures for kiddy books
Or some such tripe。
You should have seen the stuff
He stuck up in that attic！
Snowman this and snowman that，
Tons and tons of tat。
Reviews
Ralph
，
Sadly I had just finished reading this shortly before Raymond Briggs left us。 His unique voice was always worth listening to
Steve Gargly
，
After the passing of Raymond I thought I'd read his last work。It's a piece completed in two attempts。It's an eccentric and excellent book with great drawings， the emphasis being the end of life and old age， the musings and mind of Raymonds last few years。。Thank you Raymond for your contribution to life 🙏。 After the passing of Raymond I thought I'd read his last work。It's a piece completed in two attempts。It's an eccentric and excellent book with great drawings， the emphasis being the end of life and old age， the musings and mind of Raymonds last few years。。Thank you Raymond for your contribution to life 🙏。 。。。more
Luke Steere
，
A mess of a masterpiece which provides:"So perhaps you should not feel guilty。You have to go on， even if it means forgetting，and feeling guilty when you remember。"Briggs may be forgetting how to draw because his backgrounds are devoid of that great filth that renders a room really real。 And his handwriting doesn't press hard enough sometimes so there's a bunch of stuff typed in。 Also， he seems to have taken to just photocopying a few ideas and illuminating them with his own fading persona， such A mess of a masterpiece which provides:"So perhaps you should not feel guilty。You have to go on， even if it means forgetting，and feeling guilty when you remember。"Briggs may be forgetting how to draw because his backgrounds are devoid of that great filth that renders a room really real。 And his handwriting doesn't press hard enough sometimes so there's a bunch of stuff typed in。 Also， he seems to have taken to just photocopying a few ideas and illuminating them with his own fading persona， such as his hand holding a bewildering TV remote with "a flap on our first remote control accidentally opened and 21 more --buttons-- were revealed， 129 buttons in all。" All this deft self-awareness of his aging self is populated by a sort of commonplace book of quotes spanning thousands of years， compiled by an artist who spend the post war era explaining to people of all ages what despair looks like。 As Ionesco puts it， and Briggs chooses to include it:"We haven't the time to take our time。"Briggs has given us some of his and the least we could do is read it。 He's all set with the criticism， too， because ol' Prodnose is here to spell it out for him， within him， and my god is it funny and beautiful and just LIFE。 。。。more
Ttrplayer
，
This a hard read， in that it was so real， so heart felt， so heartbreaking and painful but yet joyful。 I hugged this book and rocked back and forth so many times while reading it。
Simon Fletcher
，
I'm not really sure what to make of Briggs' book。 I wanted to like it but it's bleakness kept me mentally at arms length and I never felt engaged with or in it。 I'm not really sure what to make of Briggs' book。 I wanted to like it but it's bleakness kept me mentally at arms length and I never felt engaged with or in it。 。。。more
Davidg
，
If you ever needed proof that Briggs was his own model for Father Christmas， it is here。 He presents a warts and all picture of an aging man， grumbling about the modern world， its technology and its pace。 He is constantly reminded of his age and his increasing inability to do things that used to be so easy。 At the same time， he allows himself to look back on his parents， his growing up and his wife， but there is always the sense of loss and an honesty about his feelings。There are drawings， but t If you ever needed proof that Briggs was his own model for Father Christmas， it is here。 He presents a warts and all picture of an aging man， grumbling about the modern world， its technology and its pace。 He is constantly reminded of his age and his increasing inability to do things that used to be so easy。 At the same time， he allows himself to look back on his parents， his growing up and his wife， but there is always the sense of loss and an honesty about his feelings。There are drawings， but they are often drafts and are outnumbered by the pages of text， laid out as poems。 Briggs is aware of his grumpy old man stance and skewers himself through the occasional appearance of ‘Prodnose’， who some might remember from Beachcomber columns。 There is an honesty about the vulnerabilities and losses of aging and the ever-present sense of walking with death。 There is a little of the joys， such as the brief appearance of his partner’s grandchildren。 I think that more could have been made of this as the gloom does threaten to overwhelm。 Some of the joy and love shared between him and his， sadly now late， partner could have sat alongside the death of his wife some decades ago。 There are gains as well as losses。I am glad I have bought this and will return to it again。 。。。more
Michael
，
It was okay。 Quite insightful and funny， but very dry， dark humour and a quite depressing to be honest。 I took it back to the library half read。
Peter James
，
We should all take the time to contemplate life and death as Raymond does in this book。 It makes life that bit sweeter， more colourful and vibrant。 The artwork is incredible as always。
Francesca Pashby
，
Mr Briggs is 71 （well， he was when he created this） 。。。 I am not， so perhaps that's why I found it a bit grim in places。 But quite melancholic too， and very touching， especially concerning his parents and late wife。 Mr Briggs is 71 （well， he was when he created this） 。。。 I am not， so perhaps that's why I found it a bit grim in places。 But quite melancholic too， and very touching， especially concerning his parents and late wife。 。。。more
Dirk Wartman
，
I always loved Briggs's books as a boy， especially classics like Fungus the Bogeyman and Father Christmas。 Now in middle age， I was really looking forward to what seemed to promise some more mature reflections on life and death along with more of Briggs's beautiful drawings。I was really disappointed on both counts， though。 Firstly， the book is largely made up of bits of writing that are shaped like poems on the page， but don't really rise to the level of poetry - they're just quite flat， humdrum I always loved Briggs's books as a boy， especially classics like Fungus the Bogeyman and Father Christmas。 Now in middle age， I was really looking forward to what seemed to promise some more mature reflections on life and death along with more of Briggs's beautiful drawings。I was really disappointed on both counts， though。 Firstly， the book is largely made up of bits of writing that are shaped like poems on the page， but don't really rise to the level of poetry - they're just quite flat， humdrum reflections on the more miserable aspects of growing old; complaints broken up into short lines。 While a few are mildly amusing， and a couple are certainly moving （such as those on the illness and death of his wife）， the bulk of them are pretty uninteresting and bleak。Secondly， the art is deeply disappointing - it seems as though Briggs and his publishers planned to do a more comprehensively illustrated book， but Briggs gave up on the idea and just decided to send in the roughest graphite scribbles from his sketchbook instead - and they get rougher and more scribbly and harder to decipher as the book goes on。 If you're thinking of buying this because you're hoping for the kind of lovingly shaded pencil work found in Briggs's classic books， be warned that other than a handful of more finished drawings in the early pages， the rest look like doodles done by a drunk person while they were on the phone。 Quite often you can't read the speech bubbles either。 And towards the end， the scribbles cease altogether， just leaving you reading blocks of dull text。Finally， I had always assumed Briggs was a gentle， kindly， innocent old gentleman - so I was unsettled to find him depicting himself ogling a bunch of teenage backpackers on a Duke of Edinburgh scheme trekking through his village， and making a lewd joke （'They're on the Duke of Edinburgh's？ Lucky him。 I wish they were on mine。'）。 If he really felt the need to share that dirty-old-man thought， why was he allowed to publish such crap in this day and age， when the tides are finally turning against the normalisation of sexual objectification in our culture - especially when Briggs is primarily a children's author？A brutal reviewer once said that reading Martin Amis's notoriously self-indulgent novel Yellow Dog was 'like catching your favourite uncle masturbating in a school playground。' In this book， you will actually find Briggs depicting himself doing something not a million miles away from that， and doing so as if it's simply just a bit of fun。 So I'm sad to say this book is quite disappointing， depressing and disgusting， and I wouldn't recommend it。Sorry Briggs fans。 。。。more
Ben
，
Ruminations on aging and death in the form of small prose pieces and poetry， accompanied by Briggs' penciled illustrations。 Bits of humor here and there， but much of it is contemplative and often sad。 I would have loved for more of the art to have his trademark style， but many of the drawings are understandably sketchy and loosely 'finished'。 Ruminations on aging and death in the form of small prose pieces and poetry， accompanied by Briggs' penciled illustrations。 Bits of humor here and there， but much of it is contemplative and often sad。 I would have loved for more of the art to have his trademark style， but many of the drawings are understandably sketchy and loosely 'finished'。 。。。more
Ed Parker
，
This very somber look at life， particularly old age and death was well worth the read。 Briggs is a unique talent， and he has certainly cemented himself as a writer and artist。
Janice Bridger
，
Don’t read if depressed as this mainly autobiographical series of poems in sections labelled then， now and soon is all about death- of loved ones， pets and mainly one’s own imminent one。 It also implies the death will be in pools of bodily fluids and possibly undiscovered for hours or even years。 It’s unmitigated grumpiness is rather wearing although it does bring chuckles when talking about his step grandchildren。 I also found the then section about his parents and wife more interesting and als Don’t read if depressed as this mainly autobiographical series of poems in sections labelled then， now and soon is all about death- of loved ones， pets and mainly one’s own imminent one。 It also implies the death will be in pools of bodily fluids and possibly undiscovered for hours or even years。 It’s unmitigated grumpiness is rather wearing although it does bring chuckles when talking about his step grandchildren。 I also found the then section about his parents and wife more interesting and also the idea that if someone found what a person left behind in a room they would label you as barmy！！ Eg lots of pics of snowmen！！ 。。。more
Owen Townend
，
This is a beautiful book but you have to be in a particular kind of mood to read it。 It is a collection of Briggs's musings and drawings about age and death。 At 86 years old， he has an awful lot to look back on but not much is clear ahead aside from the inevitable fate。Fortunately though he has enjoyed a rich life， which shows vividly in this book。 He has loved and lost （his mother， father and wife in a two-year span） and of course has had an illustrious career in illustration。 Then again he kee This is a beautiful book but you have to be in a particular kind of mood to read it。 It is a collection of Briggs's musings and drawings about age and death。 At 86 years old， he has an awful lot to look back on but not much is clear ahead aside from the inevitable fate。Fortunately though he has enjoyed a rich life， which shows vividly in this book。 He has loved and lost （his mother， father and wife in a two-year span） and of course has had an illustrious career in illustration。 Then again he keeps any ego in check with the amusing Prodnose， a rather snooty personification of the critical voice so many of us have in the back of our heads。The drawing varies from hasty sketches to beautiful drawings with purposeful shading and depth。 I believe this is representative of how Briggs felt throughout composing this book， moving from unsettled to focused philosophy。 He also shows off his poetic side in Time For Lights Out with some witty and plain-speaking free verse。 Rhymes do sometimes occur and normally for a good reason。It is a poignant work that deserves its place among the best of bittersweet later-life graphic memoir alongside Maus by Art Spiegelman and Our Cancer Year by Harvey Pekar。 I recommend Time for Lights Out for fans of Briggs's books for adults and who don't mind macabre meditations on mortality。Notable Poems•tPlayroom Picture – a lovely anecdotal poem about a grandchild’s description of colour。•tMorning Tea – a darkly-amusing verse about being found to be laid up in bed。•tLife Time Idioms – a clever rhythmic poem utilising common expressions of ‘time’。 。。。more
Marcus
，
A poignant read， given new significance after the recent death of the author who brought us classics like The Snowman， Father Christmas and When The Wind Blows。 Hopefully this reflection on life and death by an elderly Briggs will now get the attention and number of reviews it deserves。
Chris Malone
，
Raymond Briggs is a living legend。 His poignant artistic scrapbook （in the absolute best sense of the word） of wry thoughts， poems， sketches & quotations from a world-weary yet painfully astute pen， is absolutely worth reading again and again。 Buried treasure， time passing， sad and realistically cynical。
James
，
A truly beautiful and moving book。 Very sad in places especially when writing about his wife’s death。 This book does make you think about your own existence during and after reading。
Liam Taylor
，
Some nice bits and pieces here
Olly Mogs
，
This is such a beautiful piece of work - I don't want to get too flowery about it but you really do sway with the isolation， the cynicism， and the touching and emotional sections of this book。 Have tissues on standby。 This is such a beautiful piece of work - I don't want to get too flowery about it but you really do sway with the isolation， the cynicism， and the touching and emotional sections of this book。 Have tissues on standby。 。。。more
Colin Murtagh
，
This book is really difficult to write about。 As Briggs is in his 70s he knows he's nearing the end of his life。 This then is his thoughts on life and mortality。 He discusses his current life， the walks with the dog， the visits from the grandkids， the pills and the side effects。 Mixed in among that are memories of his life， growing up in London during the war， the death of his wife， his parents。It's all done in a variety of sketches， text snippets and poetry。 The art varies from rough pencils to This book is really difficult to write about。 As Briggs is in his 70s he knows he's nearing the end of his life。 This then is his thoughts on life and mortality。 He discusses his current life， the walks with the dog， the visits from the grandkids， the pills and the side effects。 Mixed in among that are memories of his life， growing up in London during the war， the death of his wife， his parents。It's all done in a variety of sketches， text snippets and poetry。 The art varies from rough pencils to finished pencils， to full inks， mainly in shades of grey。 It all adds to the sombre feel。 Some of it feels like he just wants to get it on paper while he still can。 Mortality， especially your own， is never going to be an easy topic， this was always going to be a dark book， I'm just a little sad at how depressing and self indulgent some of it is。 Yet despite that， it still has its moments that are incredibly touching。 He's still a master of his art。 If this is his last book， and it looks like it is， I'm not sure this is how I want to remember him。 。。。more
Jessica Faith
，
completely heartbreaking - but， most of the time， I loved it （taken in small chunks）。
Deepak Rana
，
Just ok really。
Hilary
，
I don't know how to rate this， as a book about death， depression， getting old and dying， which this is， it couldn't have done a better job， so 5 stars for achieving what the author set out to do。I just didn't enjoy this， it is so negative and depressing， this is hard to read without sobbing or at least feeling really down afterwards。There are poems， letters， facts and drawings all about death， dying and getting old。 Descriptions of Raymond's wife's illness and death， his parents deaths。 We even I don't know how to rate this， as a book about death， depression， getting old and dying， which this is， it couldn't have done a better job， so 5 stars for achieving what the author set out to do。I just didn't enjoy this， it is so negative and depressing， this is hard to read without sobbing or at least feeling really down afterwards。There are poems， letters， facts and drawings all about death， dying and getting old。 Descriptions of Raymond's wife's illness and death， his parents deaths。 We even meet a well loved dog character but only as she is at the vets being put down。 I can see that this is the aim of this book but I would have loved to have shared a nice memory of his dog or wife but no， literally nothing positive in the whole book。 He talks as if he longs for death to relieve him of his horrible life but at the same time he complains of the things he has to do to live longer。 Ironically he has lived quite a long life so far。There was a horrible page joking about himself as an old man lusting after some young girls （aged from 13yrs to 15yrs） on their Duke of Edinburgh award， when they said they were on the Duke of Edinburgh and he says he wishes they were on his。 Yuk。 Really inappropriate， somebody should have advised him not to include this。I wish I had kept a different picture in my head of this illustrator。 。。。more
Jackie Law
，
Raymond Briggs is now in his eighties and apparently contemplating life’s end。 He has stated that he expects Time for Lights Out to be his last book – it took him over a decade to create。 Given the subject matter it may sound depressing but this is not the case。 Although searingly honest about an aging body’s failings and inevitable future， the tone is more reflective than bleak。Throughout the varied entries the author demonstrates an awareness of his increasing frailty。 He writes of eating heal Raymond Briggs is now in his eighties and apparently contemplating life’s end。 He has stated that he expects Time for Lights Out to be his last book – it took him over a decade to create。 Given the subject matter it may sound depressing but this is not the case。 Although searingly honest about an aging body’s failings and inevitable future， the tone is more reflective than bleak。Throughout the varied entries the author demonstrates an awareness of his increasing frailty。 He writes of eating healthy food and taking regular exercise。 He still indulges in the wine he enjoys， trying to temper concerns without becoming obsessive。 He lives in rural Sussex where the countryside is teeming with life but also deaths， such as road kill。 Briggs visits a local cemetery and notes the prevalence of young people buried in his parents’ time。 He reads newspaper obituary pages and feels a sense of achievement when he is older than the recently deceased。The contents of the book are a mixture of: pencil drawn illustrations， comic strips， poems， photographs， quotes， lists， and short opinion pieces。 All are based around the author’s personal memories and experiences。 Divided into three sections – Now， Then， Soon – they offer a picture of the life Briggs has lived and his concerns about its end。 His wry musings cover day to day activities including: walking his dog， habits when at home， interactions with friends and neighbours。 Certain memories are triggered by items kept for decades， often unused but hard to throw away due to their history。“Old people are always absorbed in something。 Usually themselves。”The ‘Now’ section presents Briggs as a seventy-something year old who surveys himself as an old man and is somewhat annoyed that this is what he has turned into。 On walks he finds the hills are harder to climb。 His days are marked out by routines he and his partner doggedly adhere to。 He observes that he has become less tolerant of other people’s appearance and behaviour。 All of this is written with unflinching insight and wry humour。 Briggs recognises his foibles and failings。 Although poignant in places there is no expectation of sympathy。‘Then’ looks back at: Briggs’ parents， his own childhood， the death of his wife， visiting grandchildren。 Much has changed in the world during each of their lifetimes。 The lasting effects of the two world wars are remembered along with more welcome advances – illustrated by conversations Briggs has with the young children。 He remembers those who have died but acknowledges also that they are sometimes forgotten – that life goes on for those who remain。“Death hovers around us every day。Somehow， we close our minds to its closeness，even when it is just outside the windowor is staring at us from the television。”‘Soon’ is wound around a fear the author has about ending up in a care home for the elderly。 He ruminates over personal possessions that are dear to him and how these would have to be disposed of。 He recalls the deaths of acquaintances and that this must one day happen to him。 Yet all of this is contemplated without rancour。 I found Briggs’ willingness to confront what is inevitable refreshing。 Contemporary society is so often eager to avoid acknowledging the prospect of death。“He who is not anxious has no imagination”Briggs’ inimitable illustrations are a mix of finely rendered drawings and more blurred images – appropriate when conveying the speed at which time passes （and perhaps the deterioration of eyesight） when on life’s downhill trajectory。 The importance of memory in old age， especially of childhood， is given thoughtful consideration。 The structure of the book allows the reader to peruse pages without the necessity of reading in order from cover to cover。A frank and originally presented memoir depicting what living day to day feels like having exceeded one’s allotted three score and ten years。 If this is Briggs’ swansong it is a fitting tribute to his artistic talent and percipient story telling。 。。。more
Bettie
，
Raymond Briggs's final book， which faces death 'head-on'， due this year Collection of short pieces， which has been in the works for more than a decade， takes stock of The Snowman author’s life Raymond Briggs's final book， which faces death 'head-on'， due this year Collection of short pieces， which has been in the works for more than a decade， takes stock of The Snowman author’s life 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Time For Lights Out
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Time For Lights Out&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Time For Lights Out&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0