Exploring the Creative World of Paul Bailey
Paul Bailey, who died in October aged 87, was renowned for his witty genius, deep empathy even for his most flawed characters, and a sharpness that never felt cold. His novels frequently delved into the power of memory within personal journeys, propelled by clever, syncopated conversations. Beyond novels, he worked as a memoirist, poet, and more—here is a guide to the books he left behind.
The Ones to Keep You Company
Paul Bailey proved an outgoing person, a skilled communicator with a love for casual small talk, in the words of a creation. Together with companion fellow writer Beryl Bainbridge often enjoyed the TV show Coronation Street and debrief by phone. This enjoyment of informal dialogues appears within his novels the novel Trespasses (from 1970) and the title Peter Smart’s Confessions (released in 1977). Both feature a central male figure surrounded by funny, annoying, over-the-top characters, often close relatives whose influence is inescapable. “Why would anyone desire normality?” asks the mother of Ralph in the book Trespasses when he reveals he is gay. Similar to spending time with your smartest, cheekiest pal.
Books Blending Humor and Sorrow
Bailey wrote excellently regarding elderly life, early and late in his career. His debut novel the novel At the Jerusalem (from 1967) details the life of Faith Gadny during her transition to a care facility, where fellow residents supply compassion lacking from staff, who show interest via queries “Why not view the TV, ladies?”. In his penultimate novel Chapman’s Odyssey (from 2011), an elderly hospitalized man switches between disputing with medics (“I only drink superior wines”, he states following criticism of his liver) and being flooded by memories from his parent, romances, fictional icons such as Pip from Dickens or Emma from Austen. Each volume include humorous dialogues however tinged with impending endings. In his stories, smiles are deceptive. In At the Jerusalem, “the matron grinned, then ended it abruptly”; Mrs Gadny laughs nervously when confronted about her behavior. In Chapman’s Odyssey, Harry cautions that “my smiles aren’t what they seem”. The audience’s grins, though, are real.
For the Reality Behind the Stories
Apart from his stories, Paul Bailey served as a gifted memoirist, releasing two self-written volumes. An Immaculate Mistake (from 1990) serves as a classic of recollection, its title derived from his mother’s words calling him “our error” and saying he shouldn’t exist. (“Elderly, she disclosed hidden truths,” he adds. “She understood this would captivate me.”) Within these pages appear the roots of flawed, caring, annoying mothers and fathers in his novels. It also paints an evocative portrait of a boy discovering his sexuality in that era, when same-sex acts were criminal, and his kin viewed it as suspicious that a son would purchase flowers for his mum; and of an aspiring actor (The writer was on stage preceding his literary career) who memorized Hamlet at 15. His subsequent life story A Dog’s Life (from 2004) centers on life with his mongrel puppy Circe, his former 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, featuring an anecdote involving author Iris Murdoch dubbing a participant a “foolish person”.
If You’re Pressed for Time
Paul Bailey’s books are mostly concise—the impactful Old Soldiers (1980) is just over 100 pages—but for something shorter, explore his poems from later years. The two books Inheritance (from 2019) and also Joie de Vivre (released in 2022) exhibit Bailey’s wit, empathy, precision in small packages. These poems are full of endings and beginnings. Two romantic motifs repeat: about his parent (“I feel nearer to you now—/ I must confess—/ than when you lived”) and for his partner Jeremy Trevathan. In that piece, he depicts the joy of “watching an idiotic TV entertainment” together, concluding with: “It’s awesome, in its way, this act of eating cheese / and drinking wine, as the world keeps darkening.”
When Choosing Just One
There is little debate that Bailey’s most ambitious novel is the novel Gabriel’s Lament, a Booker Prize finalist in 1986. (He was a Booker judge in 1982, a role he disliked.) This novel Paul Bailey valued most, although “it consumed all his energy”. It relates the tale of Gabriel Harvey, with a missing mother while his dad transforms into an unbearable snob following a financial windfall, and the two might be related. It acts as a representation of 20th-century London, a tale of emotional unraveling, and as funny and sad like his other works. Additionally, it prompted a follow-up, Sugar Cane (published in 1993), which Bailey researched by going to such places to watch.
