The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion
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Paul Willetts
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Paul Willetts
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I used to walk up and down Soho's Brewer Street regularly in the late 1970s, and so frequently passed the Raymond Revue Bar in Walker's Court, when I was a 16 year old messenger for a film company. I never went in but was always impressed by the neon signage in the evening, and the plethora of sex shops that were a feature of the area. That said, I was more interested in the second hand record shops that also abounded in the same streets, however I always enjoyed the frisson created by the sleaze and neon. London's seventies sex industry grew up around Paul Raymond's iconic bar, or so I imagine.
I'm a few pages into Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque by Paul Willetts so may have this assumption disproved. Either way, I am eagerly anticipating my second book by Paul Willetts (the first being the wonderful Fear And Loathing In Fitzrovia, his biography of Julian Maclaren-Ross). I'll report back.
I've read "Fear and Loathing in Fritovia" and its fantastic. I never heard of Maclaren-Ross till I read a review of this biography in a London paper. And I do have the Paul Raymond biography but haven't read it yet. But I think Willetts is the real deal!
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I think you're probably right Tosh. As usual.
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I enjoying Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque so much that I've just splashed out £6 to get a copy of the DVD of The Look Of Love which I don't have especially high hopes for, despite being a big Coogan fan, but we'll see. Either way it should be a good companion piece to the book.
I shall of course report back.
Mod
"Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque" by Paul Willetts
Here's my review. I re-use some of what I posted above.
I used to walk up and down Soho's Brewer Street regularly in the late 1970s, and frequently passed the Raymond Revuebar in Walker's Court, when I was a 16 year old messenger for a film company. I never went in but was always impressed by the neon signage in the evening, and the plethora of sex shops that were then a feature of the area. That said, I was more interested in the second hand record shops that also abounded in the same streets, however I always enjoyed the frisson created by the sleaze and neon. London's seventies sex industry grew up around Paul Raymond's iconic and groundbreaking bar.
Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque was my second book by Paul Willetts (the first being the wonderful Fear And Loathing In Fitzrovia, his biography of Julian Maclaren-Ross).
As with Fear And Loathing In Fitzrovia, Paul Willetts does an entertaining and thorough job of evoking the life and times of his subject. I particularly enjoyed how Paul Raymond helped to erode the once stringent customs and laws around sex and stripping. When the Revuebar opened in 1958 the naked girls had to remain static and recreate classical tableaux. The place was regularly attended by plain clothes police trying to find a way to convict him, or in some cases extort money not to prosecute him.
His empire grew as the sixties began to swing accompanied by a wave of permissiveness. Raymond's astute business skills and opportunism helped to change Britain beyond all recognition. His legacy is now clear to see, as the sex industry has been transformed from an illicit enterprise into a vast, rapacious business that permeates and debases all aspects of modern culture. One of the book's real stars is London's Soho district. An area that has an enduring fascination for me. Raymond diversified into property in the late 1970s, acquiring numerous Soho freeholds, and it was this that ultimately made him one of Britain's wealthiest men.
The book also explores Raymond's extraordinary domestic life. His strict Catholic family, his controlling mother, his attempts at being an entertainer, doing National Service, his post-war period as a Spiv, his acrimonious divorce from his first wife, his illegitimate first son, his daughter's tragic death, an extortion attempt, familial infighting, a love of money, entrepreneurship, London, sex, drugs, tragedy, pornography, and ultimately his own rather sad and lonely demise which his vast material wealth could not alleviate.
Raymond was, in many ways, a repellent man, and yet the book exerts a strong fascination as it details the inexorable success that was so closely aligned to changing public attitudes to sex, pornography and business.
4/5
Mod
I've started watching The Look Of Love DVD. I'm only 20 minutes in, however can already confidently say that it is well worth seeing for anyone who has read, and enjoyed, "Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque" by Paul Willetts.
I can also see how, for someone coming to it without the background knowledge of "Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque, it might be less satisfying.
Steve Coogan is superb as Paul Raymond, and the film cleverly switches from era to era, and for some of the earliest periods, into black and white.
I think it's quite hard to nail period pieces, but this is completely credible so far, with each era being evoked with great attention to detail. The film and the book compliment each other perfectly.
I'll report back when I've finished the film.
A copy of the film has just turned up in the post, rented via our Netflix subscription. I'm hoping to get round to it at the weekend. My expectations are quite low, not least of all because I've never managed to enjoy biopics. After swearing them off completely a few years back, I caved and watched the Ian Dury and Serge Gainsbourg biopics, and neither managed to deliver.Will be curious to read your thoughts after you've passed the closing credits. I do have it on good authority, though, that Paul Willetts was not happy with the film, and not happy with Coogan.
Mod
Coogan is always Coogan, which - to some degree - generally means variations on the Alan Partridge character. That said, Paul Raymond is a bit Partridge-esque, so for me, so far, it works brilliantly. As I state above I think it is as a companion piece to the book, that the film is working. The knowledge I now have about Raymond's story all filling in the blanks that the film does not have the time to include.
Interesting that you've all but sworn off biopics. Have you seen "Twenty Four Hour Party People"? Another Winterbottom/Coogan collaboration and, for me, a wonderful film. Quite brilliant. Coogan's Tony Wilson is, of course, Partidge-esque but then again that was in keeping with Wilson's personality too.
I look forward to comparing notes when we've both watched it. I hope to have it finished in the next few days.
Mod
I've now finished the DVD. Here's a few more thoughts...
Nigeyb wrote: "I'm only 20 minutes in, however can already confidently say that it is well worth seeing for anyone who has read, and enjoyed, "Members Only"."
My initial enthusiasm was misplaced. Ultimately "Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque" by Paul Willetts probably does not lend itself to a successful film adaptation.
Although Raymond's story is interesting, there is no real dramatic story to tell. That said, Coogan does a good job of subtly conveying how, as Raymond's wealth and power increased, so his personal happiness gradually declined. At its heart the film, by focussing on his daughter Debbie's death of a drugs overdose, is a tragedy. A parent outliving their child is always terrible, and in this case Raymond must have known by indulging her every whim he had contributed to her premature demise.
The film does capture how, as Raymond ages, he becomes progressively absurd, cutting a ludicrous caricature as the oldest swinger in town. The scene depicting Debbie's wedding is also suitably cringe worthy.
What makes Raymond most interesting is how he changed British society. His personal story is far less compelling.
Some of the scenes appear to be made up. For example, I have no recollection of Raymond's ex wife Jean ever appearing in Men Only.
There are also some curious omissions. For example, there is nothing in the film about the police trying to close down the Revuebar, corrupt coppers, or organised crime trying to extort protection payments. A shame, as it's this kind of period detail, and social history, that might have elevated the film.
Overall, I can quite understand why Paul Willetts would be disappointed. It veers from occasionally watchable to boring too often, with little in the way of excitement. The best bits are those that marry a bit of period imagery to a pop soundtrack.
Good book. Average to poor film.
I've just finished sitting through the film. I must say I found it a bit disappointing. Coogan is fine as Paul Raymond but the film never really delves beneath the surface of his character and completely fails to get to grips with what was actually interesting in Paul Willetts' book. There's a fascinating story there - the shifting nature of public morality, the history of Soho, the struggle of a man coveting a respectability he can never gain. But the director doesn't seem to get much further than "wooo - titties!" and it's difficult to feel sympathetic for any of the people involved, presented here as one-dimensional coke bores.
By no means the worst film I've seen, but a missed opportunity.
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Mark wrote: "There's a fascinating story there - the shifting nature of public morality, the history of Soho, the struggle of a man coveting a respectability he can never gain. But the director doesn't seem to get much further than "wooo - titties!" and it's difficult to feel sympathetic for any of the people involved, presented here as one-dimensional coke bores. "
Your point about Raymond's desire for respectability is especially well made and, as you suggest, would have been an interesting area to explore. Your comment made me think of Raymond sponsoring Thatcher's son's motor racing endeavours. Not only was that not mentioned, the film didn't even mention the (seismic) shift in the political landscape by making any reference to Thatcher being elected Prime Minister. A disappointingly narrow focus and, as you say, a missed opportunity.
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Q: Who was the first fictional character you fell in love with?
A: Sherlock Holmes.
Q: You’re throwing a dinner party for fictional characters. Who do you invite?
A: Arthur Norris (Mr Norris Changes Trains), Vivian Sternwood (The Big Sleep), X. Trapnel (Books Do Furnish A Room), and Sally Bowles (Goodbye To Berlin).
Q: Are there any books that still haunt your dreams, even years after reading them?
A: I wouldn’t say that any books haunt my dreams. Images from lots of books do, however, inhabit my waking hours.
Q: Is there a book you wish you’d been the one to write?
A: Julian Maclaren-Ross’s Of Love and Hunger.
Q: What is the most beautiful book you own?
A: A first edition of Evelyn Waugh’s Decline and Fall, bought about 25 years ago for the bargain sum of £4.50. It features lovely typesetting, as well as a selection of Waugh’s elegant and witty, Cocteau-esque line drawings.
Q: Which author, living or dead, would you most like to spar with in a Slam-style literary death match?
A: Why risk humiliation by sparring with the literary equivalent of Sugar Ray Robinson? I’d be inclined to choose one of the many Audley Harrisons of the printed page: over-rated heavyweights with all the ring know-how and punching power of a Jane Austen heroine.
Q: And which author would you grant immortality so their books never stopped coming?
A: Tobias Wolff.
Q: Who’s your biggest non-literary artistic inspiration?
A: Errol Morris.
Q: You’re the coach of one of the teams in Monty Python’s Philosophers’ Football Match. Who’s your star striker?
A: Pythagoras. (He knows all the angles.)
Q: What fuel do you use to sustain yourself when you’re writing?
A: No nibbles, just three meals a day.
Q: Tolstoy famously wrote standing up, and Cormac McCarthy writes all his novels on an old Olivetti typewriter. Do you have any unconventional writing habits?
A: None.
Q: An English composer once said that a live orchestra generally gives a 40% accurate rendition of the symphony he hoped to write. How do novels you actually write measure up to the ones imagined in your head?
A: Being a pessimist, I know that my books will always fall short of my expectations. It’s just a question of how far short. I’ll settle for the literary equivalent of extra-time and defeat on penalties.
Q: If money were no object and you suddenly lost the desire to write, what would you do with your time?
A: I’d try to make documentaries.
Q: What would be your menu for the last meal of your life?
A: A South Indian banquet, preferably featuring dhokla, a delicious savoury sponge cake.
Q: If you had to spend the rest of your days in just one place, where would it be?
A: London.
From the Serpents Tail website
Good news for those with a gap on their shelving where most decent people file their copy of Paul Willetts' biography of Julian Maclaren-Ross, 'Fear & Loathing In Fitzrovia' - Feb 2014 sees the much-needed return to print. In short, it's a brilliant book and should appeal to everyone in this group. Amazon UK is now taking pre-orders here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fear-Loathing...
Mod
I read a library copy, so might have to invest in my own copy now.
And, with a spiffy new cover...
Listen to what the man said...
Mark wrote: "Good news for those with a gap on their shelving where most decent people file their copy of Paul Willetts' biography of Julian Maclaren-Ross, 'Fear & Loathing In Fitzrovia' - Feb 2014 sees the much-needed return to print. In short, it's a brilliant book and should appeal to everyone in this group. "
Just stumbled upon news of a new Paul Willetts book, due for publication 3 July, 2014, and suavely titled Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms: The Spy, the Dressmaker, and the Original 'M'Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms by Paul Willetts - a non-fiction thriller about one of the most explosive espionage operations of the Second World War
Set in blacked-out London during the ominous lull before the Blitz, this true story centres on Tyler Kent, a debonair encryption specialist at the US Embassy - who also happens to be a Soviet mole. He becomes romantically entangled with Anna Wolkoff, a Russian fashion designer and Nazi spy. Together they steal the coded telegrams between President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill: if revealed, these messages would change the outcome of the war.
Hot on the trail of Kent and Wolkoff comes the brilliant but eccentric British spymaster Maxwell Knight. He infiltrates the glamorous circle of fascist conspirators gathering in the Russian Tea Rooms, just a stone's throw from South Kensington tube station. The stage is set for a saga that confirms the old adage about truth being stranger than fiction...
Drawing on amazing new research, this compulsive book, replete with jaw-dropping twists, will appeal to readers of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, as well as fans of Ben Macintyre's Agent Zigzag and Operation Mincemeat.
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Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms by Paul Willetts
Mark wrote: "Drawing on amazing new research, this compulsive book, replete with jaw-dropping twists, will appeal to readers of The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, as well as fans of Ben Macintyre's Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal and Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied VictoryBen Macintyre."
I've read both Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal and Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied VictoryBen Macintyre. Very enjoyable and, perhaps with more in common with Willetts' earlier work than might first appear. I'm really looking forward to reading Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms.
I've already completed my pre-order on Amazon UK. I should note,though, that I can't be credited with writing the quoted bit above... only for having copied and pasted it!
Paul Willetts has just posted a brand new trailer for his forthcoming novel, Rendezvous At The Russian Tea Rooms, which can be viewed here...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wZxa...
Additionally, the official Paul Willetts website is now a thing that exists at...
http://www.paulwilletts.uk/
Mod
I've read about Kent in a few other books. Be interesting to see what PW does with the material....
Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms provides the first comprehensive account of what was once hailed by a leading American newspaper as the greatest spy story of World War II. This dramatic yet little-known saga,which challenges conventional wisdom about Home Front unity and about the Anglo-American relationship, is replete with telephone taps, kidnappings, and police surveillance. It centres on the furtive escapades of Tyler Kent, a handsome, womanising 28-year-old Ivy League graduate, employed as a US Embassy code clerk, first in Moscow and then in London.
Against the opulent backdrop of British high society during the so-called Phoney War, Kent not only steals vast quantities of top secret US government documents but he also embarks on a series of overlapping relationships with glamorous women, among them Helen Mirren’s aunt. Before long, his escapades bring him into contact with the equally colourful lives of the book's two other flamboyant protagonists.
One of those is Maxwell Knight, an urbane MI5 spyhunter whose many eccentricities include taking his pet bear-cub for walks through the streets of Chelsea. The third member of this memorably idiosyncratic trio is Anna Wolkoff, a famous White Russian fashion designer-turned-Nazi spy whose outfits are worn by the Duchess of Windsor and whose parents are friends of the British royal family. Wolkoff belongs to a fascist secret society called the Right Club, which aims to overthrow the British government. Her romantic entanglement with Tyler Kent gives her access to a secret correspondence between President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, a correspondence that has the potential to transform the outcome of the war and, in doing so, change the entire course of twentieth-century history.
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Yesterday, inspired by this thread, I signed up for Paul Willetts' email updates, and added a message to say how much I liked his work.
Today I received a lovely email from the man himself. Amongst other things he mentioned that he had seen one of my reviews and really appreciated it, and had tried to contact me by email but was unsuccessful. He also invited me to try and attend one of his book launch events and meet up befor or after. If I manage to get along I'll let you all know.
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It's going to be expensive to buy when it first comes out however my library service have a couple of copies on order and I'm first in line. Just hope they turn up in October. Sometimes it seems weeks or even months after publication date before my library gets books.
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Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms by Paul Willetts
...is ready for me to collect at my local library.
#excited
Next up, once I finish...
"Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age Of Paranoia" by Francis Wheen
Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age Of Paranoia is my first book by Francis Wheen & it’s right up my street as I’m someone who grew up in, and remains mildly obsessed by, the 1970s.
Francis Wheen's earlier book "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered The World" began in 1979, and the elections of Thatcher and Reagan. Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age Of Paranoia recounts how we got there.
I'm about halfway through and loving it, loving it. loving it.
Mod
"Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms: The Spyhunter, the Fashion Designer & the Man From Moscow" by Paul Willetts
…and I’m very excited about that.
Susan gave it five stars which has increased my anticipation….
Click here to read Susan's review
Here’s a bit about the book.
Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Room provides the first comprehensive account of what was once hailed by a leading American newspaper as the greatest spy story of World War II. This dramatic yet little-known saga, replete with telephone taps, kidnappings, and police surveillance, centres on the furtive escapades of Tyler Kent, a handsome, womanising 28-year-old Ivy League graduate, who doubles as a US Embassy code clerk and Soviet agent.
Against the backdrop of London high society during the so-called Phoney War, Kent’s life intersects with the lives of the book’s two other memorably flamboyant protagonists. One of those is Maxwell Knight, an urbane, endearingly eccentric MI5 spyhunter. The other is Anna Wolkoff, a White Russian fashion designer and Nazi spy whose outfits are worn by the Duchess of Windsor and whose parents are friends of the British royal family. Wolkoff belongs to a fascist secret society called the Right Club, which aims to overthrow the British government. Her romantic entanglement with Tyler Kent gives her access to a secret correspondence between President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, a correspondence that has the potential to transform the outcome of the war.
I loved Paul Willetts biography of Julian Maclaren-Ross…
Click here to read my review
…and Paul Willetts biography of Paul Raymond...
Click here to read my review
Mod
There's much to enjoy in this tale of Nazi spies among London’s elite. In some ways it reads more like a thriller than a non-fiction book. Paul Willetts is especially skilled at recreating the era in London. I had no idea just how much MI5 spyhunter Maxwell Knight worked alone and unsupported. He’s an endearingly eccentric man how appears to stand alone amongst swathes of unpleasant anti-semetic, Nazi approving toffs. I can well imagine this story being turned into a brilliant film.
Highly recommended
Susan, whose taste is impeccable, gave it five stars. Click here to read Susan's review
Mod
"Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms: The Spyhunter, the Fashion Designer & the Man From Moscow" by Paul Willetts
Paul Willetts has surpassed himself with this stunning book - a methodical, thorough book that, whilst lengthy, is engrossing, compelling and fascinating from start to finish. Highly recommended.
Click here to read my review
5/5
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wZxa...
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http://www.express.co.uk/news/history...
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North Soho 999: A True Story of Gangs and Gun-Crime in 1940s London by Paul Willetts
Alec de Antiquis was shot dead in Charlotte Street on April 29 1947 after challenging the leaders of a smash-and-grab gang targeting jewellers in the West End.
An agency photographer snapped the 31-year-old’s body slumped against the kerb seconds after the brutal killing.
The image, beamed around the world at the time, revealed the human cost of teenage gun crime in bomb-scarred 1940s London.
Paul Willetts trawled through Old Bailey transcripts and scores of newspapers cuttings.
Paul Willetts says: “People will tell you that teenage gun crime is a modern phenomenon – a fashion blamed on black people or rap culture. But the statistics surrounding this story paint a different picture. In London alone, 10,300 people between the ages of 14 and 20 were, by 1947, convicted members of criminal gangs. It was a wave of gun crime and gangsterism threatening to overwhelm post war London.”
Charles Jenkins gunned down Antiquis, an Italian-born mechanic and father of six, following a botched raid on Jay’s jewellers in Tottenham Street.
The getaway driver, a 17-year-old ‘novice’, failed to find the reverse gear and the masked robbers were forced to flee on foot.
Superintendent Robert Fabian, nicknamed ‘Fabian of the Yard’, solved the murder after a mystery mackintosh holding forensic clues led detectives on a nationwide manhunt stretching from the South London to North Yorkshire.
Jenkins and his accomplice Christopher Geraghty, 21, from Islington, were eventually found, sentenced to death after an Old Bailey trial and hanged in Pentonville.
As it's by Paul Willetts, and based on the three other books I have read by him, I'd say it's guaranteed to be a winner
More info about the book from Paul Willetts here...
http://www.london-books.co.uk/books/n...
I will be reading it soon
As these things usually go, I'm probably the last one to see this, but I've just turned up this 1982 BBC interview with Tyler Kent, which should appeal to anyone who has read Rendezvous At The Russian Tea Rooms.The video can be viewed here...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00ctr04
Mod
Looks like the new one’ll be here in August, titled King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age's Greatest Impostor.Pre-orders via...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/King-Bizarre...
From the publisher...The spellbinding tale of hustler Edgar Laplante--the king of Jazz Age con artists--who becomes the victim of his own dangerous game.
Edgar Laplante was a smalltime grifter, an erstwhile vaudeville performer, and an unabashed charmer. But after years of playing thankless gigs and traveling with medicine shows, he decided to undertake the most demanding and bravura performance of his life. In the fall of 1917, Laplante reinvented himself as Chief White Elk: war hero, sports star, civil rights campaigner, Cherokee nation leader--and total fraud.
Under the pretenses of raising money for struggling Native American reservations, Laplante dressed in buckskins and a feathered headdress and traveled throughout the American West, narrowly escaping exposure and arrest each time he left town. When the heat became too much, he embarked upon a lucrative continent-hopping tour that attracted even more enormous crowds, his cons growing in proportion to the adulation of his audience. As he moved through Europe, he spied his biggest mark on the Riviera: a prodigiously rich Austrian countess, who was instantly smitten with the con man. The countess bankrolled a lavish trip through Italy that made Laplante a darling of the Mussolini regime and a worldwide celebrity, soaring to unimaginable heights on the wings of his lies. But then, at the pinnacle of his improbable success, Laplante's overreaching threatened to destroy him...
Mod
Can't wait to get my hands on King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age's Greatest Impostor
The spellbinding tale of virtuosic hustler Edgar Laplante--a Tom Ripley-meets-Jay Gatsby king of Jazz Age con artists, whose spectacular downfall came because he began to be seduced by his own lies.
For the devilishly handsome erstwhile vaudeville singer Edgar Laplante, the summer of 1923 was a prelude to one of the twentieth-century's most extraordinary adventures--an adventure that would require all his theatrical flair to deliver what would become the most demanding performance of his life. Aided by buckskins and a feathered headdress, Laplante reinvented himself as Chief White Elk: war hero, sports star, civil rights campaigner, Cherokee nation leader--and total fraud.
Under the pretense of recruiting for the military and selling government bonds, Laplante embarks upon a lucrative tour of the United States that attracts enormous crowds, picking up a naive Native American wife along the way to lend a further air of authenticity. Soon Laplante decamps to London to appeal to King George V on behalf of the Cherokee. By 1923 he's absconded to Paris, frequenting its decadent cabarets and rubbing elbows with the likes of James Joyce and Pablo Picasso.
As he moves down to the Riviera, he begins to set his sights on an even bigger mark: a prodigiously rich and glamorous Austrian countess. Laplante takes her as his lover and main benefactor. He cons her out of the equivalent of $42 million in today's currency. The countess bankrolls a lavish tour of Italy, where Benito Mussolini's fascist regime treats him like a visiting monarch. In every city, he tosses crisp banknotes from the window of their limousine to the fans who lay siege to his hotel. He's now a worldwide celebrity, and all that adulation (plus a spiraling drug problem) has deluded him into believe that he really is a Cherokee chief. The noose begins to tighten, as the countess's family intercedes...
King Con is a sumptuous recreation of this incomparably bizarre story. Never previously told in its entirety, Laplante's tale proves that truth really is stranger than fiction.
Thanks for turning that up, Nigel. Really looking forward to this one!
Mod
Really looking forward to it
I started on it last night, and struggled monumentally to put it down. If there were a way to put life on hold for a couple days and just read, I’d do that with King Con.
For me, Paul Willetts is non-fiction in reverse -- typically, I buy non-fiction books because of an interest in the subject matter. With Paul’s books, it’s the other way round -- a complete and total unfamiliarity with the subject matter, but a love of his writing, coupled with his considerable merits as a writer, a researcher, and his overly-keen eye for fascinating subjects.
Mod
Mod
Yup, I’m about a third of the way through it at the moment, and really having a lot of fun with it. Very well written and engaging, and full proof -- if anyone needed it -- that truth is often infinitely stranger than fiction.I love how Paul researches weather conditions for various locations and dates, and then adds them to his writing, which results in lending his books the feel of a novel.
So far, so superb.
My review of King Con is in... to say that I loved the book would be a massive understatement. Read on...For me, Paul Willetts is non-fiction in reverse. Typically, on the rare occasions that find me dipping into works of non-fiction, it’s strictly because of an abiding interest in the subject matter. Books about Robert Mitchum, books about Japanese Snow Monkeys, books about whatever obsessions could stand a bit more obsessing over. With the works of Paul Willetts, though, it’s the other way round -- a complete and total unfamiliarity with the subject matter on my part, but a deep love of his writing, coupled with his considerable merits as a researcher and his overly-keen eye for fascinating subjects. In that sense, he completes a Holy Triad of contemporary UK non-fiction authors sharing space on my shelves alongside Max Décharné and Keiron Pim.
With King Con, Willetts introduces the reader to Chief White Elk -- Indian chief, fund raiser, political campaigner, a towering hero of both college football and of The Great War, first class Olympic runner, owner of oil fields, a renowned doctor, and a film star who shared the screen alongside Valentino, Chaplin, and a young John Wayne.
Except for the fact that he was none of these things.
In reality, he was Edgar Laplante -- a drifter, a grifter, a masterfully manipulative white man, a consummate and pathological liar, a swindler, a sweet-talker, a fraud and a huckster extraordinaire, and undoubtedly one of the greatest con men to ever run a racket. King Con traces our Edgar’s route throughout North America, to England, and from there to France, Brussels and Italy, where he was feted and heralded by the ruling fascist party in a staggering rise to embezzled riches totaling nearly $60 million USD in today’s currency, all the while overindulging in every dark excess offered throughout the Jazz Age.
Naiveté and stupidity are not, as some would have it, newer additions to basic human evolution, just as identity theft is not a byproduct of the Digital Age.
Paul Willetts’ greatest gift as a writer has always been his ability to transcend the form, and to write non-fiction that reads and engages like novels of the highest order, and always with his own voice shining throughout. Exhaustively researched and painted with all the creativity and light and shading of a master artist, all of his works reward the reader, and King Con is no exception.
Mod
Thanks, I had a huge amount of fun with the book, and am convinced that it deserves a very wide audience. It quickly accelerates to the point where Edgar’s story beggars belief, and completely grips the reader.
Mod
Thanks again Mark
I should read more tomorrow
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age's Greatest Impostor (2018) is another winner.
Really glad to hear that you enjoyed it, though not surprised at all. I suspect that our Edgar would LOVE knowing that we’re still evoking his name in 2018!
Mod
The first link is a recent episode of the Creative Nonfiction Podcast, which features an edited recording of a conversation I had with its host, Brendan O’Meara, who talks to a different writer each week. Our conversation covers not only my new book, King Con, but also broader aspects of what I’ve so far learnt about the craft of writing nonfiction.
http://brendanomeara.com/willetts112/
The second link is a brief list of forthcoming UK-based talks I’ll be giving about King Con.
https://www.paulwilletts.com/forthcom...
The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society
Books mentioned in this topic
King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age's Greatest Impostor (other topics)King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age's Greatest Impostor (other topics)
King Con: The Bizarre Adventures of the Jazz Age's Greatest Impostor (other topics)
North Soho 999: A True Story of Gangs and Gun-Crime in 1940s London (other topics)
Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms: The Spyhunter, the Fashion Designer & the Man From Moscow (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Paul Willetts (other topics)Paul Willetts (other topics)
Paul Willetts (other topics)
Paul Willetts (other topics)
Paul Willetts (other topics)
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Sometime soon I plan to read North Soho 999: A True Story of Gangs and Gun-Crime in 1940s London and Members Only: The Life and Times of Paul Raymond; Soho's Billionaire King of Burlesque by Paul Willetts.
And of course, I can personally state that Fear And Loathing In Fitzrovia is a great read.
All of which reminded me of Mark's sagely words....
Mark wrote: "I'll also add here that all three Paul Willetts books are fantastic. I've never been one for non-fiction, particularly as they tend to be written by people who can't write. Willetts, though, is another beast entirely -- I'll read anything by him, just on the strength of his writing and his ability to grip and hold and fascinate. As an example, I bought his latest, 'Members Only: The Life & Times of Paul Raymond' without a clue as to who Raymond was. He's just never been a household name in the states. But I bought it on the strength of Willetts' talents, and was instantly pulled in and engaged. "
So, whilst Paul Willetts may not be strictly Hamilton-esque he feels like the kind of writer we should be celebrating here at The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society. So please use this thread to discuss the work and preoccupations of Paul Willetts.