JOHN MARQUIS

What I've read recently

(Firstly, heartfelt apologies -

I've read dozens of books since this column was last updated, but I've been diverted by other things)

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A Life of My Own by Claire Tomalin

BIOGRAPHER Claire Tomalin is noted for getting into the hearts and souls of her subjects.

But she appears oddly detached in her examination of her own life.

Her book, A Life of My Own, is an interesting insight into London literary society, but is somewhat clinical in dealing with the tragedies marring an otherwise gilded life.

Her unusual marriage to the gifted journalist Nicholas Tomalin - he was a freewheeling romancer who became a notable foreign correspondent - produced five children, including one who died early, another who was severely disabled, and a daughter who committed suicide.

Both had affairs, and she appears strangely insouciant about his wanderings while juggling motherhood with her various journalistic responsibilities. They parted for a time but were together again when he was killed while covering the Yom Kippur war in 1973, having been struck by a Syrian missile. She later went on to marry playwright Michael Frayn.

Parts of the book read like a shopping list of London’s literary in-crowd, but it is the lack of emotional engagement that will strike most readers as its biggest defect.

In spite of all that, I quite enjoyed it.

Instead of a

Letter by Diana Athill

THOROUGHLY wise memoir from a very pleasant woman who spent her life in book publishing and embraced life with gusto. She knew happiness and sadness in equal measure, but never lost sight of the immense privilege of simply being here.

Neil Munro: The Biography by Lesley Lendrum

WRITER Munro, a reluctant newspaperman turned novelist, gave us the highly amusing Para Handy tales, about life on the Loch Fyne puffer known as the Vital Spark. Though a West Highlander through and through, Munro gained a national reputation with his charming yarns about the Spark and its endearingly eccentric crew. 

Kiss Me, Chudleigh by Auberon Waugh

POOR old Bron Waugh, son of Evelyn, was obliged to live out his writing life in the shadow of a satirical genius.

I always thought both he and his dad were soured by class confusion, Evelyn having spent his life trying to be the rural gentry he clearly wasn't, Bron forever obsessed by the nuances of social demarcation.

My old dad's dictum - 'It's all in the face, my boy' - was borne out by this bitterly snobbish pair, who spent their lives trying to find people to look down on. They both possessed the unmistakably constipated countenance of the socially insecure, and sneered their way through life by demeaning what they liked to call 'the lower orders.'

For Bron, the double whammy of being considered inferior to his father was enough to poison the soul of the hardiest of men.

His unfathomable complexes came out in his writing, an odd mixture of pure nastiness and subtle humour.

This collection of his journalism highlights not only his many prejudices, but also the undoubted talent he possessed for articulating his oblique view of the world.

He was a master of vituperation who was easy to dislike, but his prose has the virtue of luring the type of reader who gets guilty pleasure from seeing others skewered in print.

Bron's inner agony was exacerbated by life threatening injuries he received when he accidentally shot himself through the chest with a machine gun while on Army service in Cyprus.

The physical pain lasted for the rest of his truncated life, no doubt deepening the well of resentment created by his unenviable upbringing. His dad, it seems, never liked him much, and Bron's indifferent scholastic record did little to improve the situation.

Neither Evelyn nor Bron made old bones, both dying in their sixties. After six decades, it appears, their toxic natures and profuse eruptions of bile led to terminal physical deterioration.

To give credit where it's due, Evelyn remains one of the 20th century's literary stars, while Bron will go down as a journalist of note. in spite of his cruel depictions of his contemporaries.

This book is often amusing, occasionally enlightening, and sometimes confusing, because the reader is frequently left wondering whether he actually means what he says.

Sad case, our Bron. He never seemed to know where he stood in England's unforgiving social spectrum, and suffered enormously from the bewilderment this brought into his life.

 

Britain's Art Colony By The Sea by Denys Val Baker

ST IVES in Cornwall, besides being one of the prettiest towns on earth, is an art colony of some standing, having attracted some of the 20th century's finest painters.

It is also home to the internationally-renowned Leach Pottery, where Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada set up shop in 1920.

This study of the town's artistic history is by the colourful Denys Val Baker, a prolific novelist and short story writer who became part of the St Ives scene from mid-century until his death in 1984.

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Beryl Bainbridge, Artist, Writer, Friend

by Psiche Hughes

The late novelist Beryl Bainbridge was quite a painter, too. This book offers a glimpse of her creative 'double life' through the eyes of a friend.

Scouser Beryl trained to be a thespian, got involved emotionally with a publisher, and spent the rest of her life writing critically acclaimed novels.

But the urge to paint was never far away.

Her art, as you'd expect, is quirky but competent, much like her books. But it never eclipsed her writing, which earned her five Booker Prize nominations and, towards the end of her life, a damehood. 

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Lost for Words by Edward St Aubyn

I've never read St Aubyn's celebrated Melrose novels, and this is considered one of his lesser works. But it is a light, refreshing insight into the world of literary prizes, and the behind-the-scenes machinations that cast doubt on their worth.

Why do panel judges want the job? What do writers hope to achieve? What criteria decide the winner? And does real talent ever get a look-in?

These are the questions St Aubyn addresses in this satirical but profound analysis of a deeply flawed process.

Next time you feel inclined to splash out twenty-five quid on a Booker Prize winner, you'd do well to read this first.

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Dear Bill, A Memoir by

W.F.Deedes

BILL DEEDES was, by all accounts, a genial old chap whose journalism career spanned the best part of the 20th century.

He was an editor as well as an MP and gained fame as the 'model' for Evelyn Waugh's hapless hero William Boot in the newspaper novel, Scoop.

His memoir, charting his rise in a profession he clearly enjoyed, features many of the most fascinating figures of his time.

He began his working life on the long defunct Morning Post and was absorbed by The Daily Telegraph in one of the industry's early mergers.

There he traversed the globe as a correspondent and eventually found himself in the hotseat.

All round, a satisfying life well-lived - and, despite the stress, always with a smile on his face.

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THE Angry Island by A.A.Gill

LIKE me, Gill was more Scot than English, and he clearly shared many of my reservations about the uptight, anal retentive race south of the border.

Here he explores many of the dominant themes of English life, with snobbery and stand-offishness to the fore, along with what he sees as a resolutely angry outlook on everything.

In fact, the English do have a curmudgeonly demeanour, accentuated by a severe downturn of the mouth - an unattractive feature which grows more pronounced with age.

Ugly, rigid and life-denying, they are not the prettiest of the human species, but they do have the virtues of fundamental honesty and a love of animals.

In most instances, they also have a sense of humour, their major saving grace.

Gill, typically, lays bare the English with a wry, knowing smile. An engaging read.

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The Skeptic: A Life of H.L.Mencken

by Terry Teachout

FOR those journalists who, like me, see Mencken as the ultimate exponent of our crazy trade, anything about the master is welcome.

Teachout's study is a highly readable portrait of America's greatest journalist, capturing H.L's renowned candour and cussedness, and his unshakeable courage in the face of official censure.

Mencken loathed politicians, detested clerics, had no time for God, and dispatched his words to war in the cause of common decency. He was a one-man earthquake under the complacent establishment, a role he relished in his eternal fight for press freedom.

There's no doubt Mencken had prejudices that ring negatively today, but there has never been any quibble about his integrity, or the immense power of his prose.

America needs a Mencken now, probably more than ever before.

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The View from 80

by Malcolm Cowley

OLD age is a different country, according to Cowley, and he demonstrates how and why in this truly engaging little book.

Originally written as an article for Life magazine, it views life from the perspective of a man in his ninth decade, and shows how priorities change as the years - and expectations - ebb away.

It's not all bad news. Though mathematics and biology are against you, wisdom born of long experience affords a measure of self-containment and quiet confidence denied us in our youth.

Cowley expanded his original article into what is now regarded as a minor classic. Which all goes to show that 80-plus is not necessarily the end, or even the beginning of the end.

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A Writer's People

by V.S.Naipaul

NAIPAUL is a writer torn asunder by the inner conflicts created by his island background, and the limitations it imposed on his genius.

Put simply, Naipaul was too big for Trinidad, too constricted by its geographical and cultural limitations. He had universal themes to pursue - and life on The Trinidad Guardian was never going to cut it for him.

In one sense, his life has been spent in exile in Britain, but he has drawn deeply from his Caribbean origins to fuel his powerful books, fiction and non-fiction.

His journalist dad stayed put, but V.S. wanted out to free himself from the suffocating parochialism of his home turf.

He endured early struggles to become one of the leading novelists of the 20th-21st centuries, but one senses he has remained a divided soul with deep, fast undercurrents of confusion and discontent.

 

The English Companion

by Godfrey Smith

THIS idiosyncratic guide to Englishness and the English is what I call an interesting 'dipper' - a bedside buddy you can rely on for a smile as you drift off at the end of a busy day.

Smith, a former Sunday Times journalist, proves an engaging guide as he captures the essence of everything from the Cotswolds to the Conservative Party, from Somerset Maugham to the Somerset Levels, and country picnics to the good old English pint.

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Fall Out

by Janet Street-Porter

DURING a journalism career spanning five decades, JSP has been engaging and enraging readers in more or less equal measure. This book charts the friends made and lost during a roller-coaster media life taking in newspapers, television and fashion.

Goofy Janet, whose Steinway keyboard teeth and Gor Blimey accent defined her from the start, is not what I would rate a stellar talent, but she has undoubtedly added colour to life over the years and I do like her refreshing candour.

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The Last Word on Frank Sinatra by George Jacobs

GREAT singer, vile man. This book tells the story of Ol' Blue Eyes from the inside, and not much of it is pretty.

His involvement with The Mob, his fight with the Kennedys, his relationship with Marilyn Monroe, his career ups and downs...it's all here, related by his long-time valet and gofer in a strangely compelling style.

Hooked on hookers, brutish in manner, Sinatra was no paragon. Were he not the very best at what he did, I can't see any intelligent person giving the little squirt the time of day.

 

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City Lights and Streets Ahead

Memoirs of

Keith Waterhouse

WITH notable success as novelist, playwright and journalist, Keith Waterhouse

has to go down as one of the really significant talents of the 'kitchen sink' era of English literature.

This book offers a nuts and bolts analysis of a writer's life during the heady days when provincialism was hip and English novels were actually worth reading.

With a sizeable stake in drama, journalism and fiction, Waterhouse was gifted and versatile - a true writer's writer from a humble background who dominated the world of words on three fronts.

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Later Days by

W.H.Davies

FAMOUS for his Autobiography of a Super Tramp, Davies went on to write this lesser-known memoir about his later life, when he was a rated poet and friend of the leading literary names of the day.

For me, his most memorable verse remains 'What is this life if, full of care, there is no time to stand and stare...', a poem drilled into generations of 20th century schoolchildren.

 

The Painted Word by Tom Wolfe

ANYONE who has ever wondered whether Tracey Emin is capable of producing a drawing worthy of the name will be interested to read how today's artistic superstars come into being.

Wolfe's book wittily explores the process in New York, where Uptown and Downtown (the Brahmins and the Bohemians) conspire to create 'big name' artists for their mutual benefit.

Two points emerge very strongly: that merit has little or nothing to do with it, and that the public is excluded from the process.

Prepare to be amused, enlightened and enraged, not necessarily in that order.

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Not That It Matters by A.A.Milne

RESCUED from a pile of old books I've had for years was this tiny gem from a popular author of his day. 'Love and best wishes from May and Sidney, Xmas 1942' says the inscription inside, penned a little under a year before I was born.

It's such innocent trivia that helps make book collecting such a joy.

The text is fascinating, too, with Milne ruminating on such weighty matters as goldfish, the unfairness of things, and smoking as a fine art.

It's hard to believe such slight but amusing ruminations would find a market today, but I found them to be both diverting and enlightening. 

 

BANKSY: The Man Behind the Wall by Will Ellsworth-Jones

THE Bristol dauber whose nickname has become synonymous with fashionable urban graffiti is the subject of this revealing but unauthorised biography of a 21st century cultural phenomenon.

Whatever you think of his work, Banksy has become a totemic, albeit invisible, product of a society enchanted by secrecy and mischief. He provides both in abundance, and the lad's got talent, too.

 

The Loving Friends by David Gadd

A highly readable insight into the Bloomsbury set, the literary/artistic oddballs who saw themselves as an exclusive band of luminaries during the early years of the 20th century.

 

The Cornish Review, edited by Denys Val Baker

Unearthed in a National Trust bookshop, this copy of a respected literary magazine of the 1960s proved to be a forager's treat. Full of informed comment on Cornwall's cultural life of the time.

 

DELIGHT by J.B.Priestley

Short uplifting essays by a man dismissed as a 'tradesman' by literary snobs of his day, but who was, in fact, a rare talent of staggering range and versatility, most notably as a novelist and dramatist.

 

The Story of American Painting by Abraham A. Davidson

Whether your taste is Whistler or Pollock, this book offers useful insights into US art from its very beginnings to the present day, embracing the strictly figurative of Washington's time and the outrageous abstractions of the 20th century. 

 

Fifty People Who Fouled Up Football by Michael Henderson

Having been a soccer fan since 1948, I despair at the corrosive effects of big money on the beautiful game. But it has also been debased by some of its high-profile personalities, many of whom are pilloried here.

 

Farewell Fred Voodoo by Amy Wilentz

An affectionate insight into one of the world's most beautiful and shambolic countries. Torn apart by political unrest, besmirched by its blood-soaked history, Haiti remains strangely lovable, like an unruly child with a winning smile.

 

A Private View of L.S.Lowry by Shelley Rohde

Fascinating biography of the awkward misfit who became one of Britain's greatest artists of the 20th century, though Lowry himself said: 'I am not an artist - I am a man who paints.'

 

 

Oh Rare Don Marquis by Edward Anthony

This is the biography of Don Marquis (no relation) who was a well-known American journalist and humorist of the early 20th century (he died in 1937).

 

Home Truths, Life Around My Father by Penny Junor

The highly personalised biography of John Junor, long-serving Editor of the Sunday Express, who in his day was one of the most prominent figures in the old Fleet Street.

 

Ceramics by Bryan Sentance

Beautiful book about pottery worldwide and the ingenious techniques used to produce inspired bowls, figurines and vases. 

 

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