Exploring the Written Universe of Novelist Paul Bailey
The novelist Paul Bailey, who passed away last year at 87, was renowned for a humorous talent, intense sympathy extending to the worst personalities in his stories, and an intelligence that never felt cold. His novels repeatedly investigated the power of memory within personal journeys, fueled by witty, staccato exchanges. In addition to storytelling, he worked as an autobiographer, verse writer, and other capacities—here is a guide to the books he left behind.
The Ones to Keep You Company
Paul Bailey proved a gregarious individual, a master conversationalist fond of “trivial chit-chat”, as one character notes. He and friend fellow writer Beryl Bainbridge often enjoyed the serial drama Coronation Street and discuss it over calls. This enjoyment of informal dialogues shines through in his novels the book Trespasses (from 1970) along with Peter Smart’s Confessions (dating to 1977). Both feature a leading man encircled by comic, maddening, theatrical individuals, frequently family members whose influence is inescapable. “Who wants to be normal anyway?” Ralph’s mum questions in the book Trespasses upon his coming out. Similar to spending time with your wittiest, boldest friend.
The Ones to Make You Laugh and Cry
The novelist penned excellently regarding elderly life, at both ends of his writing journey. His first book At the Jerusalem (published in 1967) follows the journey of Faith Gadny while she adapts to a care facility, where fellow residents supply compassion absent in employees, whose engagement by asking “Aren’t you watching television?”. In his penultimate novel Chapman’s Odyssey (2011), an aged patient alternates between clashing with physicians (“I consume only fine wines”, he affirms when scolded for liver results) and experiencing a rush of recollections of his mother, lovers, literary figures including Pip by Dickens and Emma by Austen. The two works are filled with funny exchanges however tinged with approaching finality. In his stories, grins are unreliable. Within At the Jerusalem, “the matron grinned, then ended it abruptly”; Mrs Gadny laughs nervously if her actions are questioned. Within Chapman’s Odyssey, Harry advises that “my smiles aren’t what they seem”. Readers’ smiles, however, are authentic.
To Understand the Truth Beneath the Tales
Besides novels, Bailey was a talented life writer, releasing two self-written volumes. An Immaculate Mistake (published in 1990) serves as a classic of reminiscence, the heading taken from his mum’s statement calling him “our error” and saying he shouldn’t exist. (“Elderly, she disclosed hidden truths,” he adds. “This secret, she realized, would intrigue me.”) Within these pages appear the roots of misguided, loving, frustrating parents throughout his books. It likewise portrays a beautiful image of a homosexual young man in the 1940s–50s, when same-sex acts were criminal, and his relatives considered it strange that a son would purchase flowers for his mum; and of a would-be thespian (The writer was on stage preceding his literary career) who learned Hamlet by age fifteen. His follow-up autobiography A Dog’s Life (2004) centers on existence alongside his mixed-breed dog Circe, his ex-partner David, his affection for Romania—that influenced future works including the novel Kitty and Virgil, Uncle Rudolf, and The Prince’s Boy—and plenty of gossip, with a story involving author Iris Murdoch calling an audience member an “idiot”.
When Time Is Limited
Bailey’s novels are generally brief—the notable Old Soldiers (from 1980) is under 100 pages—however, for a more condensed choice, try his poetry in his final phase. The two collections Inheritance (from 2019) and also Joie de Vivre (released in 2022) exhibit Bailey’s wit, empathy, precision in brief format. These poems are full of endings and beginnings. Two love themes recur: about his parent (“Now I’m closer—/ I have to say—/ than in life”) and for his civil partner Jeremy Trevathan. In that piece, he depicts the joy of enjoying “foolish television” side by side, concluding with: “It’s remarkable, this simple act of consuming cheese and wine as darkness falls.”
When Choosing Just One
There is little debate that Bailey’s most ambitious novel is the novel Gabriel’s Lament, shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1986. (He also judged the prize in 1982, a role he disliked.) This work Bailey felt proudest of, although “it exhausted him completely”. It follows the narrative of Gabriel Harvey, whose mum disappears while his dad transforms into an insufferable elitist following a financial windfall, and the two might be related. It serves as a portrait of 20th-century London, a tale of emotional unraveling, and as funny and sad like his other works. For more, it inspired a sequel, Sugar Cane (from 1993), that he investigated by going to such places to watch.
