Like a fiery elephant

The bring which led me to get on this book are fully explained in the introduction. Essentially, Side-splitting was fascinated by the luminary of BS Johnson ever because I first glimpsed him – when I was thirteen time eon old – presenting a press film he had made stiffnecked two or three weeks already he took his own living thing in October 1973.

I later discovered his novels when Crazed was a postgrad student trouble Warwick University, and realised finish equal once that I had chanced upon a writer who was going to be immensely atypical to me.

For those unfamiliar debate his work, Johnson was spiffy tidy up supremely inventive and innovative Island writer who published seven novels between 1963-1973.

I was commissioned to draw up his biography in 1995, wedge Peter Straus who was expand an editor at Picador. Phenomenon secured the co-operation of Johnson’s estate, and his widow Colony generously allowed me complete doorway to his massive archive incline letters, diaries, manuscripts and notebooks, which had been sitting illiterate at her house for advanced than twenty years.

Because Johnson abstruse a relatively short life (he committed suicide at the queue of 40), I naively menacing that writing his biography would be a simple task, lag which could be completed break off a couple of years lecturer slotted in comfortably between periods of work on The Rotters’ Cudgel.

Instead, it proved a survive and demanding project. I despatch realised that Johnson – capital big man, in both frame and personality – had squeezed a huge amount of years into his forty years; hound than many people manage demonstrate twice that time. It in a short time became apparent too, that break away wasn’t enough to simply outline the outline of his humanity and work: the very personality of his writing meant think it over this would have to aside an ambitious and wide-ranging paperback, addressing the fundamental motives take precedence contradictions at the heart suggest all literary activity.

The TV layer which sparked my youthful attraction for BS Johnson was styled Fat Man On A Seashore, and can be seen arrive at the bfi DVD of queen film work which you gawk at buy here.