Discovering the Literary Universe of Paul Bailey

Esteemed author Paul Bailey, who passed away last year at 87, was celebrated for his comic brilliance, deep empathy including for his most flawed characters, and a cleverness that never felt cold. His literary works frequently delved into the role of remembrance in shaping lives, fueled by witty, staccato exchanges. Apart from fiction, he also excelled as a memoirist, poet, and more—here is a guide to the books he left behind.

Works That Offer Solace

Bailey was a gregarious individual, a master conversationalist fond of “trivial chit-chat”, in the words of a creation. He and friend fellow writer Beryl Bainbridge would watch the TV show Coronation Street and discuss it over calls. This pleasure in gossipy exchanges shines through in his books the novel Trespasses (from 1970) and the title Peter Smart’s Confessions (released in 1977). Each includes a central male figure surrounded by comic, maddening, theatrical individuals, usually kin whose impact cannot be avoided. “What’s so great about being normal?” Ralph’s mum questions within Trespasses after he discloses his homosexuality. Similar to spending time with your most clever, daring companion.

The Ones to Make You Laugh and Cry

The novelist penned brilliantly about aging, early and late in his career. His initial fiction the novel At the Jerusalem (1967) details the journey of Faith Gadny during her transition to a care facility, in which other inhabitants offer warmth missing from caregivers, who show interest through questions “Why not view the TV, ladies?”. In the novel before his final Chapman’s Odyssey (from 2011), an elderly hospitalized man alternates between clashing with physicians (“My wine selection is exclusive”, he insists after reprimands over liver tests) and being flooded by memories of his mother, lovers, literary figures including Pip by Dickens and Emma by Austen. Both books are filled with humorous dialogues yet shadowed by approaching finality. In Bailey’s fiction, grins are unreliable. In At the Jerusalem, “the matron grinned, then ended it abruptly”; The character giggles with unease when confronted about her behavior. Within Chapman’s Odyssey, Harry advises that “my grins are misleading”. The audience’s grins, though, are real.

If You Want the Facts Behind the Fiction

Besides novels, Bailey was a gifted memoirist, issuing two personal accounts. the memoir An Immaculate Mistake (1990) serves as a classic of reminiscence, the heading taken from his mum’s statement labeling him an “accident” and questioning his presence. (“She was old now, and letting go of her secrets,” he comments. “This secret, she realized, would intrigue me.”) This book reveals the roots for confused, affectionate, irritating parental figures throughout his books. Additionally, it depicts an evocative portrait of a boy discovering his sexuality in that era, when same-sex acts were criminal, and his family found it odd if a male child gifted blooms to his parent; and of a would-be thespian (Bailey acted preceding his literary career) who memorized Hamlet at 15. His second memoir A Dog’s Life (2004) centers on days with his pet Circe, his ex-partner David, his love for Romania—which inspired subsequent books such as the novel Kitty and Virgil, Uncle Rudolf, as well as The Prince’s Boy—and loads of chatter, featuring an anecdote involving author Iris Murdoch calling an audience member an “idiot”.

For Those Short on Time

Bailey’s novels are generally brief—the powerful Old Soldiers (published in 1980) is just over 100 pages—however, for a more condensed choice, try his poetry from later years. The pair of volumes Inheritance (2019) and the title Joie de Vivre (2022) showcase his cleverness, sympathy, exactness in small packages. These writings contain death and life. Two romantic motifs repeat: regarding his mum (“Now I’m closer—/ I have to say—/ than in life”) and for his partner Jeremy Trevathan. In Amazement, he writes of the pleasure in viewing “a silly TV show” as a couple, finishing with: “It’s remarkable, this simple act of consuming cheese and wine as darkness falls.”

If You Only Read One

Most agree that Paul Bailey’s boldest work is the novel Gabriel’s Lament, nominated for the Booker in 1986. (He was a Booker judge in 1982, an experience he despised.) This work Bailey felt proudest of, although “it consumed all his energy”. It tells Gabriel Harvey’s story, with a missing mother while his dad transforms into a intolerable pretentious person following a financial windfall, with possible connections. It serves as a portrait of London in the 1900s, an account of psychological collapse, and both comic and tragic like his other works. Additionally, it prompted a follow-up, Sugar Cane (from 1993), which Bailey researched by going to such places to watch.