SWINDON FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE: AUTHOR David Boyle said he had read reviews of his talk in which writers didn't seem to understand the meaning of authentic.

So, even though I thought I knew what it meant, I had a quick look in the dictionary just in case. It read: 'authentic: of undisputed origin or authorship, genuine, trustworthy and reliable.'

Armed with this better understanding I felt in safer territory.

Starting with a description of an artificial beach in Japan which was just yards away from an authentic beach, David, talking at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery, went on describe other phony things in life. These included an automated answering services and how piped music is played around many things superficial.

He also described how we are now striving for the authentic with the growth of farmers' markets, real ales and non-branded clothing.

Authentic, David said, was something which has depth and is ethical, natural, beautiful and human.

In our daily world of endless hype, spin and fakery, the longing for genuine, proper products and real reality is great. David, who wrote Authenticity Brands, Fakes, Spin and the Lust for Real Life, believes the quest for the authentic is the new revolution.

I think he's right. I for one have grown tired of mass-production, ignorance, greed and manipulation just for the sake of someone selling us something they think we need or something they tell us is "fashionable".

If only we could all be authentic in our lives, even if that meant just being three of the things in the dictionary's definition genuine, trustworthy and reliable.

BEN PAYNE