Notes from a new Chancellor

HE once described Durham as a "perfect little city," ordering readers of his quirky travel writing to "go there at once" if they had never been before.

Today, Bill Bryson is equally rapturous about the cathedral city and his new role as Chancellor of Durham University. The author of Notes from a Small Island and A Short History of Nearly Everything admits he was astonished when he received the call about the chancellor's position.

"I kept saying to Sir Kenneth Calman, the vice-chancellor, 'Are you sure?' and 'Have you really thought about this'?" he laughs.

"It would never would have occurred to me that I would be a candidate, but he assured me he was quite serious and once I realised and thought about it, I was really thrilled. It is the biggest honour I have ever been accorded, but also because it is a really exciting prospect to be associated with a truly important university in a place that is as beautiful as Durham.

"You don't get a better combination than that anywhere in the world."

If anyone thinks that Bryson lightly throws around his praise of cities they should think again. The 54-year-old made his name as an anti-travel writer, travelling the length and breadth of Britain for Notes from a Small Island and revelling in finding the opposite of exotic. He once described Manchester as "a perennial blank - an airport with a city attached" and was equally acerbic about Oxford. "My gripe with Oxford is that so much of it is so ugly," he wrote.

But there can be no doubt of his love of Durham. From the moment he stepped from the train, he was captivated.

"Durham is so visually striking," he enthuses in his softly spoken and anglicised mid-West accent. "The fact that you step off the train and the first thing you see is the fantastic cathedral - what a magical place.

"I always have a good experience in Durham and in the North-East generally. The people here are the friendliest anywhere."

Bryson, who was born in Des Moines, Iowa, takes over the role of chancellor following the death of Sir Peter Ustinov. In picking a new chancellor, the university received 518 suggestions from 1,800 people, ranging from politicians and business people to scientists and arts figures.

But it was the bearded, bespectacled Bryson who became the popular choice, following the honorary doctorate of civil law the university bestowed on him last summer.

Bryson first fell in love with England on a visit in 1973 and went on to live in London, working as a newspaper sub-editor. Ten years later he moved to North Yorkshire to concentrate on his writing.

In 2000 he published A Walk in the Woods, in which he tried to rediscover America on the Appalachian Trail and spent most of the time terrified in case he ran into any bears. On one occasion, Bryson, with travelling companion Stephen Katz, thought he'd heard the inquisitive snufflings of a bear outside their tent. The only weapon they had was a pair of nail clippers.

"I was barefoot and in my underwear and shivering," he wrote. "What I really wanted was for the animal to withdraw. I picked up a small stone and tossed it at it. I think I may have hit it because the animal made a sudden noisy start (which scared the bejesus out of me and brought a whimper to my lips) and then emitted a noise - not quite a growl, but near enough. It occurred to me that perhaps I oughtn't to provoke it."

Fortunately, the animal wandered off and Bryson lived to write another day. His next book, due to be published next year, is called The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. "It is about my childhood in America in the 1950s and growing up," he says. "I have to continue to make a living. The university told me there was no pay for taking this position so I will be writing in order to pay the bills."

But it is a role that he will take very seriously. As well as his successful writings, the author has travelled to Kenya with Care International, an independent humanitarian organisation working to end world poverty. Royalties from his subsequent book, Bill Bryson's African Diary, are donated to the charity and so far have raised over £280,000.

He is also passionate about Britain's historic buildings and landscapes and was appointed Commissioner of English Heritage in 2003.

"A couple of times I have been asked to be an honorary patron of this or that where they say all you really have to do is let us put your name on the mast head," says Bryson, who now lives in Norfolk. "I have always declined that because if I am not really actively associated with something I don't think it is right."

He is taking over the chancellorship at a time when the student population is growing more indignant about the debts they amass. But he points out that a British education is still far cheaper than an American one. He can accurately compare the two, having brought up his children, David and Catherine, on both sides of the Atlantic.

"Putting one child through university in the States can cost $100,000 so the British system is pretty good value, even with top-up fees," he says. "From an economic point of view it is the best investment you can possibly make. You will get that money back. Your earning capacity will be increased by having a university background."

His role will see him presiding over degree ceremonies in the traditional scarlet, black and gold robes, giving speeches and meeting benefactors. He is also to write a foreword for a history of the university for its 175th anniversary in 2007.

"To be chancellor, it is more than just an honorary thing. You do have to be able to commit in terms of time," he says. "I am going to be a kind of amiable cheerleader for the university and I am very happy to do that."