A new biography, released to
mark the 20th anniversary of his death, will reveal the private man behind
the public face of celebrated Froghill onanist Harold Bentley.
Taking Himself In Hand, by
journalist Phillip Hack, is published next week by Offthewrist Press, price £14.95. It chronicles the life of a quiet
and withdrawn man, who was fond of playing the oboe and collecting vintage bus
tyres. He was married for 35 years to Eileen, a dipsomaniac heiress who routinely
drank two or three gallons of beer at breakfast.
The lavishly illustrated, 420-page
book charts the development of onanism from solitary bedtime activity to
international competition event. It also paints a vivid picture of the sport’s most
unlikely champion.
Bentley shot to worldwide fame
in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, when he took gold in both the men’s backhand and
freestyle events. Over the next two decades, the Froghill athlete went on to
become a household name. A regular on our TV screens, he lent his name to everything from hosepipes to pig worming tablets. Yet Hack’s portrait is that of a shy
man, who shunned the spotlight and was embarrassed by the wealth and success
that onanism was to bring him.
Harold Bentley passed away peacefully
at his Froghill home, on February 4th, 1999. He was 83. He died a year to the day
after his beloved Eileen, who perished during an attempt to rewire their
swimming pool after breakfast.
Hack’s biography is an achingly
human portrayal of a remarkable and dedicated man. It will captivate both
career onanists and amateurs alike.
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