🔗 Share this article Exploring the Written World of Author Paul Bailey Paul Bailey, who died in October aged 87, was acclaimed for a witty genius, intense sympathy extending to his deeply imperfect creations, and an intelligence that avoided being sterile. His novels repeatedly investigated the power of memory on human existence, propelled by clever, syncopated conversations. In addition to storytelling, he was also a memoirist, poet, and more—here is a guide to the volumes he authored. Books for Companionship Paul Bailey proved a gregarious individual, a master conversationalist with a love for lighthearted gossip, in the words of a creation. Together with companion fellow writer Beryl Bainbridge would watch the TV show Coronation Street and analyze it telephonically. This fondness for gossipy exchanges is evident in his fictional works the book Trespasses (1970) and Peter Smart’s Confessions (1977). The two present a leading man surrounded by comic, maddening, theatrical individuals, often close relatives whose influence is inescapable. “Who wants to be normal anyway?” queries Ralph’s mother within Trespasses after he discloses his homosexuality. Comparable to hanging out with your most clever, daring companion. Works That Evoke Laughter and Tears Bailey wrote superbly on old age, throughout his literary path. His debut novel At the Jerusalem (from 1967) details the journey of Faith Gadny while she adapts to a care facility, where other occupants provide kindness lacking from staff, who show interest via queries “Why aren’t you ladies watching the television?”. In the novel before his final the title Chapman’s Odyssey (2011), an elderly hospitalized man moves between arguing with doctors (“I only drink superior wines”, he affirms following criticism of his liver) and being flooded by memories of his mother, lovers, literary figures like Dickens’s Pip to Austen’s Emma. Each volume are filled with comic interactions however tinged with impending endings. Throughout his novels, smiles are deceptive. Within At the Jerusalem, “the matron grinned, then ended it abruptly”; Faith Gadny chuckles anxiously upon challenge to her conduct. In Chapman’s Odyssey, Harry warns that “my laughter is not genuine”. The audience’s grins, though, are real. To Understand the Truth Beneath the Tales Apart from his stories, Paul Bailey served as a gifted memoirist, releasing two self-written volumes. An Immaculate Mistake (published in 1990) stands as a masterpiece of reminiscence, its title derived from his mother’s words labeling him an “accident” and questioning his presence. (“Elderly, she disclosed hidden truths,” he notes. “This secret, she realized, would intrigue me.”) This book reveals the origins of flawed, caring, annoying mothers and fathers throughout his books. It also paints a beautiful image of a gay youth in the 1940s–50s, when same-sex acts were criminal, and his family found it odd for a boy to buy his mother flowers; and of a would-be thespian (The writer was on stage prior to authoring) who memorized Hamlet at 15. His second memoir A Dog’s Life (published in 2004) centers on existence alongside his mixed-breed dog Circe, his ex-partner David, his affection for Romania—which inspired future works including the novel Kitty and Virgil, the title Uncle Rudolf, plus The Prince’s Boy—and loads of chatter, including a tale about Iris Murdoch calling an audience member a “stupid cow”. If You’re Pressed for Time Bailey’s novels tend to be short—the impactful Old Soldiers (1980) is under 100 pages—however, for a more condensed choice, sample his verse from his later career. The two collections the poetry collection Inheritance (published in 2019) along with the title Joie de Vivre (from 2022) showcase his cleverness, sympathy, exactness in small packages. These writings are rich with mortality and existence. Two affectionate topics reappear: for his mother (“I feel nearer to you now—/ I must confess—/ than when you lived”) and for his spouse Jeremy Trevathan. In that piece, he writes of the joy of enjoying “foolish television” side by side, finishing with: “It’s remarkable, this simple act of consuming cheese and wine as darkness falls.” When Choosing Just One It is widely accepted that Bailey’s most ambitious novel is the novel Gabriel’s Lament, nominated for the Booker in 1986. (He served as a judge for the award in 1982, a role he disliked.) This novel Bailey felt proudest of, even though “it exhausted him completely”. It follows the tale of Gabriel Harvey, whose mum disappears and whose father turns into an unbearable snob after inheriting wealth, and the events may link. It acts as a representation of the city in that era, an account of psychological collapse, and both comic and tragic similar to his entire output. To continue, it led to a follow-up, Sugar Cane (1993), which Bailey researched by attending brothels to observe.