Well, to be fair, “Closer” came at a troubling time for the writer. Though he doesn’t subscribe to “writing as therapy,” that play and those characters certainly served such a function for him at a crucial time. And he’ll be the first to admit the work reads better if you happen to be concurrently experiencing the crushing truths it puts on display. That was a decade ago, however, and even today, he can’t seem to feel those same emotions when he revisits the work. To him, it’s just material now.

Sitting across from Marber over coffee at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge on a baking, sunny February morning, I was faced with a man who doesn’t need you to perceive things his way. He will even subtly challenge you to be assured in your own vantage point. Like any good writer – and I seem to be spending time with plenty of them lately – Marber asks pondering questions that come from a place of meaning, and at times, intent. A sarcastic twinkle seems to lie just below the surface of an artist enjoying himself and his good fortune in this new medium, almost as if it has all caught him by surprise.

Marber’s nomination for “Notes on a Scandal” might be seen as something of a vindication for missing the big Oscar dance two years ago. But holding no ill will toward that unfortunate post-HFPA/BAFTA snub, he is quick to consider and understand how adapting one’s own work might be perceived in the eyes of a nominating body. And indeed, the “Closer” adaptation played close to the originating work.

For Marber, working with Mike Nichols for two years was his own personal film school. A transitioning writer looking to the big screen for further professional ambitions couldn’t have found a better partner in crime, considering how closely Nichols’s work parallels themes and tendencies found in Marber’s writing. It is clearly a cherished experience, and proved to be a healthy initiation into the business of film.

It was producer Scott Rudin who brought Marber along for the “Notes” ride, following a nice collaboration on “Closer.” Rudin sent Marber Heller’s novel and hired him for the gig without a lot of peripheral consideration – a true partnership had formed. The two will work together at least once more, as Marber sets about adapting Ian McEwan’s “Saturday.” The project ought to take full advantage of the writer’s talents, another insular tale of foreboding: post-9/11, London setting on the eve of Bush’s Iraq offensive.

In the meantime, Marber is more fascinated by the fact that Los Angelinos actually get bored with this gorgeous Southern California weather. A Londoner through and through, fog and rain is more the custom in his world than palm trees and sunshine – so much so he still prefers a spot in the shade. But on three hours’ sleep and a nominees luncheon to attend within the hour, he’s still quite content and pleased with the unfamiliarity of it all. Refreshingly honest, quick to indicate his satisfaction with Academy recognition (in a category with “Borat,” one of his favorite films of the year, no less) and adamant about sharing his morning toast, Patrick Marber is enjoying the ride rather than awaiting the outcome. He seems to have left his demons behind, but after he puts his children to bed at night and heads to the basement to crank out a decent night’s work, they still haunt every page.