1958-08-09 — Page 14

ON

ROBERT PITMAN'S

book page

a giant electric pylon high among the hills of Gloucestershire I was talking to a novelist about his work.

Below us the River Severn looked like a trickle. The wind moaned. Drizzle beat at my face. Numbly my hands clutched at the pylon's struts.

For above me the writer clambered calmly upwards. Beneath me my feet slithered on a shelf of barbed wire,

It was not the way you would expect to pass time with

novelist. But this was an unexpected novelist,

is name is P. H. 11. Bryan. Ils 1958 novel-a brilliant sailee

on the follies of modern Britain. Ilis full-limy profession-over- heard neman for the electricity board.

Let me explain why I went to su teugths to, keep com- pany with Mr Bryan. It was not merely because his writing is to sharply funny. I had an other reason,

Each werk I get letters from readers who would like to write a book. Is it possible, they ask, to be a part-time author?

It is no use pointing to doctors or schooileachers or eivil ser vands who manage to write, Since elvil servant Chaucer him- self, a few limited professione have always found time to get

into the writing business too.

But what about other people? Well, let us look at lineman

Its. Bryan's spare-time book,

BARFORD CAT title: THE AFFAIR

(Abelard Schuman, 10s. 6d.).

You would never guess that it the evening houta was written after daily work among the pylons. It has a clarity of style that few of the Bloomsbury men ever attain,

Startingly it begins- "This she authentis story et affair which happened

that

RAMSDEN GREIG'S

RECORD COLUMN

ELLA

NO WONDER CROSBY CALLS HER "THE GREATEST"

A

MONG the phenomena of this world-like the leaning tower of Pisa, refrigerators, Espresso coffee burs and Bing Crosby-there stands Ella Fitzgerak. Big, ebullient who knows it) Ella (fifteen stone, and she doesn't care this year celebrates her twentieth anniversary in the top bracket of jazz.

The other day the new into London to let folks here know that a 10 she is atis goinst strong.

Her aeropicue arrived from France at lunch-Ome. In the afternoon she was holding court confidently at a Press reception.

In the evening she was pound. Ing it out sweel and solid in the company of such jazz glants as Oscar Petersan, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eld ridge on the stage of the Gnu- mont State, Kilburn.

Vibrant

Even from the extreme range 10 the of the scuts supplied critics, Ella was loud and clear and vibrant-the most exciting thing on the jazz scene today. She came on at the end of the when many proceedings just *members of her nudience were thinking of the inst train home. it says a lot for Miss Fitzgerald that some of her fans are prob- ably still walking home during the day.

She continues her onslaught at Kilburn on a slending-coom- only basis.

•

who

"Elin," says the man spends much of his waking hours pulling Miss Fitzgerald vut of beds or cinemà seats for

"doles Press interviews movie stars and interlor-sprung mattresses."

ΩΠ

"Sometimes," says Ms Pilz- gerald, talking like something out of Uncle Tom's Cabin, "ahli three Bit through a picture times. AB jus love Bing Crosby,"

Her devotion to Mr Crosby 5 understandable.

"Man, woman or child," Bing says, "Elia's the greatest."

Three-year wait

It was in 1935, at an amateur Opera night in the Harlem House that Elia--then a slender, frightened adolescent-first sung in pubile, She followed through Chick with a job singing for Webb's band. But she had ta walt until 1933 before all the world knew her as the writer and recorder of a song culled A-Tiskel, A-Tasket.

Twenty-five million recorda later Ella Fitzgerald now comes up with Like Someone In Love (HMV 33). Immense drive and authority are put into 15 tracks that includes More Than You Know, Close Your Eyes, and I Never Had A Chance.

*

I have been listening to the latest recording of Kattile Koy and kughing at the publicity surrounding the lady. Miaz Kay, who doce most of her, singing'in Scotland, is billed and boosted at the Goitish Fireside Girl

What no une bus thought of mentioning, however, is the fact

THE CHINA MAIL,

SATURDAY, - 'AUGUST 9, 1958, `

Here's hope for all the would-be writers-Honest Toil is just the thing to get you started on a best-seller

Where's the author? Why, up the pylon

-doing his job

aro in Burford several years when I was a young eat."

If you can and a more striking first sentence from any book published this year I would like 10 ace it. And Bryna's story keeps up the standard.

g

It tells how, after a work- from the local M.0.1. ents spreading disease, about the councillors and aldermen of Barford decide to run an anti- vat

By-laws are campaign.

Anti-cat oficers are ap- pissed.

But the cats have on pointed. answer.

03

to

Secretly at night town' allotments they meet conclave. Mounting મ rostrum of compost their leader, an elderly British shorthair, ad- dresses them. Huskily ho mews:

REPRISALS

"We cats are solttarica, 10 use that backneyed phrase, we walk alone, Therela lles our strength. It is because we walk lone that we have carried the torch of freedom, independence, and individually straight and unswerving across the sorry pages of history."

So the great cat debate begins, Finally, in a tense atmosphere, they decide to klil two Barford eltizens a week as a reprisal.

Such is the struggle, between cat and ran which is the theme or Bryan's book.

The reprisals toke place. Several Barfordians are striped

LINEMAN BRYAN

oke

could call

the Inland

opics executive in an important manufacturing Arm in the alr- craft business.

Unlike Bryan (who never men- tions orion in his novel) Pereira puts his day-limo workt to good use,

A REBUKE

Take fils Time of Departure, Revenue brain-work, but it left in iction form it is the detailed my brain tired in the evening story of a supersonic airliner

Then one day I saw

A on project. Typical dramale electrielly board advertisement scene the prototype's first big

It was just the test in the for linemen.

ulr. From the thing I wanted, My mind was hangars and drawing offices fresh when I come home in the workers edge tensely on evenings, and I started walling field to watch. this book almost at once."

Green-eyed Tinker, one of the Bryan cats, rubbed against my legs. Nervously asked its master: "What work are you doing today?"

unrolled a map ma Bryan pointed. He said: "I have to patrol the super-grid here. And I have to climb up a 120ft, pylon here. Would you like to come along?"

WHAT OTHERS?

"Whatever else Barford is a typlenily English city and vocally proud of it. There are few scones more attractive to your true Bartordan than the old slightly (ποιν High Street widened) of mediaeval fame on o sumy Saturday afternoon,

Wilfred with its Woolworths, Bala Shoes, lists are there? For me easily the Merilyn Monroe posters outalde most fascinating is the Odeon, noizy chlidren in Pereira.

I then made the bigger

committed in de mistake ever literary interview, I said "Yes." What other unexpected noves

novel,

Davy Crockett suite, colourful Time of Departure (Hale, 10, Jamaltung, tail G.Is, crying Gd.), was compared by the bables, guttural Poles, raucous critics with Shute and Nigel

Balchin. music from the TV shops."

QUIETLY

This summer his third.novel, JOHNSON'S JOURNEY (Hale, 10s, ed.), appears. It is based the possibilities of u

What is Bryan like? I first épically

met him in his kaug basement

flat overlooking Bristol.

Shyly, quietly he talked about

fourth novel ready for printing British space project, He has a --and is working on fith.

But when I met the prolic his life-about cattle-ranching Mr Pereira during the week, I In Canada, about Bghting as an did not find him tapping away officer

under Wingate, about in some-secluded study. I found working as a lorry driver when him at Olympla: On a stand war cotled.

the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. Exhibition.

For, in working hours, novelist Pereira is an engineer. His job:

w the

The little personnel manager is appalled. He busties up shout- ing "What are you doing out here? The hooters sounded more than a quarter of an hour ago." Bat it is the manager who is

the

The wrong.

shict in

rebukes hin. "G5 engineer away!" he tells the Hille man. "You annoy mo. have you beer in the aircralt industry?"

How Jong

J

Only a writer from that like Pereira, Industry, a mün who knows all about the ritual of a first night, could manage a scene like that,

But how does he and time to manage 117 At Olympla Pereira · gave me his formula,

IN A DAZE

Near us great machines turned slewly to and fro on the deman stration stands. Ho

said:- "Whatever clsc happens, write 2,000 words in longhand each day, including Sundays.

"T be writing at my hotel

on train journeys." this evening. I write in planes,

11

Dazed with the thought of I left Pereira's daily 2,000 Olympia, I bumped into policeman who was chatting with newspaper-seller. Respect- fully I said sorry. Perhaps they were just discussing the weather. But you never know. They may iwe novelists ex- changing notes on style.

to the bone. The cats get the better of It, The anti-cat by- But not Miser Kay comes from laws are witherawzi. that

before Author Bryan May Lincoln.

managed to put over some of his opinions about the state of He said: "After that I worked Brilain today.

have beer Consider this for five years in Inland Revenue. comment, for example:......

But I cannot stand offices, No

Her latest record: Secret of Happiness HMV 78)

-(London Express Service},

VIGNETTES OF LIFE

HALF THE BATTLE OF GETTING THE 8:10

IS IN TURNING OUT PROMPTLY WHEN THE CLOCK RADIÒ SOUNDS OFF-JUST DON'T LIE THERE LISTENING TO THE MUSIC.

MAKE ALLOWANCES FOR BATHROOM

A FEW

DELAYS - THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING UNDERFOOT.

MINUTES

| 10 WRESTLE

WITH AN CIGARETTE

| MACHINE.

AND YOU

ARE ON"

YOUR

WAY.

Catching The 8:10

NOW FOR THE DASH "TO THE STATION- DON'T STOP TO KISS YOUR CHAUFFEUR

GOODBYE — YOU CAN

- KISS HER WHEN YOU GET HOME.

Werkud

`cors, 1994 GENERAL PRATJAN

CON. THE WORLD OBITS AURRYI

I had made the biggest mistake over committed in s #terary Interview... I began to climb the 120ft, pylon.

By Harry Weinert

GLARING AT EARLY SHOPPERS WHO PARK IN YOUR REGULAR SEAT

WILL GET YOU

NOWHERE.

A GLANCE

AT THE PAPER. IS A MUST—

TO SEE IF

WORLD IS STILL IN ORBIT.

RUSH BRUSH ! AS IF THE WORLD DEPENDED UPOM YOU —EVERYBODY ELSE DOES ́IT.

AT LAST- THE OFFICE – NOW YOU CAN SIT DOWN AND CATCH YOUR BREATH-AND DISCOVER THAT YOU GRABBED A PAIR, OF SOCKS THAT DON'T MATCH: