Unhelpful error message while attempting to generate key pair

[Alan Mackenzie]

Hello, gpg.

I'm trying to use gpg-2.2.41 on an up to date Gentoo GNU/Linux system.

I type

    $ gpg --gen-key

, answer the questions about my name and email address, then wait ...,
and wait, ... and wait.

Finally a half error message appears:

    agent_genkey failed: Timeout

, followed by a repetition looking like:

    Key generation failed: Timeout

..  This is an exceptionally unhelpful error message: it doesn't tell me
_what_ has timed out, thus giving me no clue as to what I need to fix.

Have I got something not configured right?  Am I missing some library?
If I need to read the fine manual, _which_ manual, and _which_ part of
it?

Help!

Please help me get my gnupg working!

Thanks!

-- 
Alan Mackenzie (Nuremberg, Germany).