George Steiner walks into race row

George Steiner (pictured), the revered academic and novelist, has placed himself at the centre of a race row after saying that he would not be able to tolerate living next door to Jamaican neighbours "playing reggae all day". Steiner, 79, made his remarks in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais while publicising his latest novel, My Unwritten Books, a semi-autobiographical work featuring graphic details of his sex life.

"It’s very easy to sit here, in this room, and say 'racism is horrible'," he said, speaking from his house in Cambridge, where he has been Extraordinary Fellow at Churchill College since 1969. "But ask me the same thing if a Jamaican family moved next door with six children and they play reggae and rock music all day. Or if an estate agent comes to my house and tells me that because a Jamaican family has moved next door the value of my property has fallen through the floor. Ask me then!"

Steiner, whose Jewish family fled to America from Paris before the Nazi invasion in 1940, adds: "In all of us, in our children, and to maintain our comfort, our survival, if you scratch beneath the surface, many dark areas appear. Don’t forget it." (Continued below)

Reaction to his remarks have been mixed. Bonnie Greer, the American playwright and critic, conceded Steiner should be allowed to talk about his own feelings, but condemned his remarks about Jamaican families. She said: "He is a cranky old man and he should sit down and have a cup of tea. It’s quite clear that he doesn't know what racism is."

However, Dr Robert Berkeley, deputy director of equality campaign body The Runnymede Trust, welcomed Steiner’s honesty: "I think it’s good to recognise your own racism - and everyone has their prejudices - so that you can deal with it. Racism is something we struggle to talk about enough, and I am always happy for there to be a debate, provided no one is victimised as a result. But I don't agree with his view."

Asked by the Daily Telegraph if he now regretted what he said, Steiner said: "No I do not, but I do not wish to comment further." Probably wise.