On that curve of coastline just north of Edinburgh there sits the village of St Monans, looking out over the Firth of Forth to the Bass Rock and the Isle of May. These days the area of East Neuk is probably best known for its golf courses and holiday homes but just before the end of the Second World War St Monans was the birthplace of Christopher Rush and ''Hellfire and Herring'' is the story of his childhood. It's also the best autobiographical work that I've read for a long time.