1961-04-10 — Page 1

**ile's

one of these new king size fats."

being

"It's bad enough married to a drip-Don't stand there and drip-dry!"

"I don't care El balo took willy welk

Bly's spaer krimsel on, 1 don't went to

ratch your sold!

Roy Every

KITCHENWARE

If you don't mind, I'll choose my own potato preler!"

THE CHINA MAIL, MONDAY, APRIL 10, 1981.

by DAVID SANDERS

Do YOU ever dream of

giving up work

to be an author?

HOW often have you put down a book with the slightly approving, slightly onvious verdict: "Not brilliant, but not bad. Not much in it, really; come to think of it, I could have written it myself..

Then there swims before your eyes the golden vision, first conjured up when the school magazine published your account of the school party's trip to France, and the head master said: "Well, if all else fails. I sup- pose you could be a writer. You don't have to pass any exams for that.

How wonderful, Indeed, to

MIST PENDLE

ROBERT NEIL)

THE MAN

AND HIS BOOK

Robert

Nell and the historical novel that enabled him to give up teaching and the analysing of sen mud and become a full-time author.

be an author. Not accussa PRESENTING A CASEBOOK ON A MAN WHO TOOK HIS BIGGEST RISK AT

a famous one, but funt D mo- derately meccssful one; success- fal enugh to rule your own life and never renew another season ticket.

Then. nlas, the vision begins try dwindle

under the eroding weit of logic and common sense, Supposing you fried it and #topped. What about the build- in soelety payments, the instal- What about

ments in the car?

the grocery bilf?

The dreams Must it always be like that? Are there no people who dream the dream and make it come true"

There are, Indeed. I have been talking to such n one.

To do so, I went in Keswick, In the heart of the Late Dis- triet i sat in a pleasant rouSITY in the surt of house that would cost HK$20,000 in Surrey, but probably appreciably less in Cumberland. In the field op posite, the sheep grazed un grass than any in Whitch is greener the Southern Region ticket area; in the middle dis- tance there was the silver shem Derwentwater; the great

LOGAN

HE is Louis Franklin Edgar Detwiler the fifth. And there couldn't, I trust, be another like him.

When the Congo got its chaotic Independence he leaped Jin the news as the man who Bigned a contract with Premier Potrice Lumturuba for the deve- lopment of the vast mineral und economic resources,

American magazines referred to him as business tycoon and promoter.

For once they were indulging in understatement,

Roaring

Detwiler makes the usual scem modest, American tycoon reserved, and incenie.

Crag

black shoulder of Walla jutted to the skyline.

I was in the home of Robert Neill, novelist.

It

could be that you have Neill. never heard of Robert That worries him not at all. For him, fame is not the spor. Re has got what he wanted out of authorship;

I yearn for.

what so many of

And the interesting thing about this doonish man in his mkdle Bities Is thi He 110 been a fulltime author for only

ten years.

Yes, he was over 40 when he packed up the safest of all safe jobs and the pension that would have gone with it.

I therefore present this ense- book on Robert Neill, novelist, as a firm example of what can be done with common sense and by a man who determination

says without the slightest trace of false modesty: "I'm no genius." Nell went to Cambridge. He rend natural history, and holds an M.A. degree.

Ills first job was just about the most improbable that could be imagined for a man who was

later 10 carn 2119 living by writing. He was employed as a biologist in some adjunct of the and Ministry 1 Agrkulture

and his task was to Fisheries assess the mutritive valve of the Clyde to the eva mad of the organisins on which dish feed.

Lecturer

Then he turned to teaching. He fought biology in a grammar school at Burton. After wartime service in the Navy, he returned to teaching, and towards the end of the 1940's he was moving into the upper-inidėte sirota of that profession. He was a lectur- training es er at a teachers' tablishment at Cheltenham.

HK sulory будя HK$10,000.

I

The stake he put up was this: one whole year's teisure thing.

Hu told me: "I decided that gave every working day, up to seven in the evening, to the training college, they could have no complaint. That was giving the Ministry of Education full value for their money.

after seven, I wrote. 1 **But Tet nothing, absolutely nothing. Interfere with that. Most even- nga I worked until around 11. but often it was much later."

40

He wrote his first four or five books while he was still living at Cheltenham.

"I wasn't Was that enough?

"It was saro, Nell told me. my wife who decided in the end.

"She said: 'You can't go on It was the price of ham. Umat In la moving to his like this jos ever, working unit resulted

every night, present delightful home. nearly midnight

Mr Nell! cannot remember You've got to decide whether you want to write or teach. the exact

of the half- price Which is it going to be?' pound of hom which he brought

"Yes, it was she who gave me in one day athle wife's re

quest, but the does the push 1 needed."

I suspect it was only the his wife's reaction. gentlest of pushes.

Not much more than a nudge.

remember

'Time we loft'

Every year since then, Nelli has turned out a novel. Somo "Scandalous, suld Mrs Neill, of them have some near the who is normally a placid and hard-back sales of

"If that's what his Best contle woman, book, but none has exceeded it. they charge for ham in Chelten- He has never written a really hat, it's time we left Chelten

winner. But the ham,"

A wife ca

Buy that sort of

Ponder over that for a mo- meni, you would be author Remember, not some evenings, Could you but every evening.

Excuses do that, making no about not being in the mood, or having had an edgy day at the big-money

around offre? Robert Neill did. And the American book clubs have a thing, and mean it, if her hus-

It was then thai Rubert Neill wanted to be an decided he

author.

He did not plunge into full- time authorship straight away and gamble everything that be and his wife had won.

Robiri Neill is not that sort

on which only he would suffer if falled.

of man, le did gatable, but it was a gomble

GOURLAY

The thrusting Mr D has plans for Britain

"Yes, sir, this is the place. We want to build the centre on the site of the old Croydon air- port, covering an area of about 150 neres.

"It will cost about £30,000,000 to £60,000,000. But that's not important. The money's avail- ale.

"There is a crying need for Rostow, one of the White

n centre like this.

to use "Billy Graham had Wembley Stadlum when he was here to cope with the 770.000 people who came to see him in one week.

House top advisers who has been to

on Moscow

informed special mission,

that ho Mr. Khrushchev should wear a top hot next

"The new centre could be the time he comes to Washing- world's teremest place for big meetings of all kinds. Think ton to meet the President. What it would mean for Britain In terms of increased

tourist

The United States Information

"What we need is permission from the Ministries and local trade, not to mention prestige, Service does not 1, regret

thorities

"I hope Macmillan and the inform me what Mr Khrushchev "My

Andrew associate, Sir MacTaggart is already hi touch Commonwealth Prime Ministers said in reply.

give it their blessing. Especially Maeraillon. He's a great guy. with the Ministry of Housing.

"I've shown the plans to Jack

Thus centre could he Cotton and Lord Rootes, mud tribute to him. It could be the they are very impressed,

The main auditorium build- beginning of the Macmillennium.

"It would be a kind of

I once called him a roaring Niagara of words and statistics. And that

understate- wus an ment too,

Hi vocabulary is composed

will have a doiginating you know.... mainly of statisiles. He sprays ing

out like them

an electronic central tower 400, bigh. brain with a screw loose.

"Surrounding it wi

ben

It was a blatoric moment, Mr Detwiler, after coining Mnc- The statistics, which are often number of lesser towers. 180.

Like to computed accurately, are always high, designed as office build- millennium (which the Tory

Euch building will be propaganda office may linked to some kind of grandine Ings

borrow), was lost for a word. building

of the Com-But he found it quickly. and development named after one

monwealth countries. cheme,

It

monument. "I:: the main nuditorium

When I Just et film, iTu

was

Lisbon. he was planning to there will be a unique type of mausoleum.

transform tourism by among theatre other things-building a fleet of people. 100,000-ton Transatlanile liners

area, seating 50,000

"TCTO will be television each costing £40,000,000, to screens in the roof so that be at the back can see bring over thousands of Ameri- people con tourists of 200 for a return what's happening at the front.

"Altogether, the centre with ticket.

a number of smaller conference Now he has turned up Looxton with o new set of and publie rooms will be able statistles and plans for probably to accommodate a total of more

in

To most grandiose scheme of than 200.000 people,

all.

He spread the plans out on the bed in his Dorchester Hotel room. He talked. I flatened.

We want to build here London a British Common- wealth Exhibition and Trade Centre" he sak). “It will be the largest and most important in the world.

"I'll tell you why I choose London It's one of the world's explista od centres of ifrend commerce. Sa in New York,

"I will have a ballroom for 10,000 people, a cafeteria for the Eticatres, same number, three

200 shops and stores.

"Let's see what else

ears t

Not

I'M intrigued to read that Mrs Joan Gavin, wife of General Gavin, tho new American Ambassador to France, has changed her name to Jeanne, ko

that "fifty million French- men won't think I'm a man."

tell you?" I said he had told me enough, but I might as well ♦ have tried to dam Ningara with au umbrella,

Prestige

A well-bufit man

It's a tough life for

an ambasındor's wife.

Topper tip for Mr K

L

of 82, ho *Dut London Is also the was pacing the room Jerily. capital of the Commonwealth, His eyes were elining with mis- THE and that takes in about 800 slenary mal; his ears million people-even without hearing nothing but the sound South Africa.

ho likes above all others.

жете

T

FOLLOWING

weck's mention in this column that "Spec- tacle" the name cho-

sen

Mr Joseph by Fenston for his house must be the most un- usual in London, a reader writes to claim an even more unusual namo.

His house in Farn. borough is called "Isn't."

I phoned to ask why. He raid: "There isn't any reason."

End of inquiry.

Meal-time

make-up

I

MET Max Steidla, from

Switserland, who

planning to

ta

Introduce 4 now tino of cosmetice, hode mustly from cucum-

United States In- her. formation Service In-

said: 10

ing quoties. We grow our own in Switzerland.

Rigid rule

result was a book: an historical ways rallied round. novel called Mist Over Pendle, It was set in Lancashire in the early seventeenth century. It is about witchcraft and the perse- cution of Roman that time.

The

band is an author. That week- end the Nollla drove north. They found what they wanted on the outskirts of Keswickt. I asked him if authorship had

There he will continue to turn Catholics at ever left him unable to pay the out his one novel a year, work-

gas bill.

ing five or six hours a day, the afternoon gardening in

"A erities were kind: arst novel of some distinctions

the future...

"I've never "No," he said.

necount's and considerable promise for been that hard up. The bank been up and down, and we've often had to be care ful.

"It needs more than faveltr- able reviews. You have to have

a bit of luck too," says Neill, "And I've kept to one ab- 1 had my bit of luck with that solutely rigid ruta We naves first book."

chase.

I quickly sold 10,000 coples buy a single thing on hire pur in Britain, a pretty goud gure "Authors, you know, not their for a first novel, but not pay choques anco avery six

suelent to change a man's way

of life. With royalties at is 6 months, and that's a long time to wait. You can live cheaply first a copy the

yeur's sales if you work at home. You don't brought in £750 (HK$12,000).

"the neighbours think I don't do any work at all") and per- fornbig the duties of sidesman at a village church on Sundays. He will never be another-Wal- pole. But Robert Neill has other stintards at success. "K You

call being able to take a taxi when there's a bus going the same way, then I'm a success," he said.

Not a very spectacular story. his, you might think. The Nellis never starved. They pawned the furniture,

never

their plea-

Robert Nell's luck was this: need to spend much on clothes.

"I've always been pretty sure Yet this quiet couple have backs on the re- quite unwittingly he had written that the next pay cheque would turned their a book that would sell not only meet the food bill for six wards which people tako for in Britain, but in America. The months. But it would have been granted In other professions: Americans love the English his too risky to start mortgaging the "Assured prospects...life as- torical novei. The American income in advance on payments surance scheme...penalen." book clubs pounce eagerly on for a car."

One lang illness could dis- They each new one of merit.

Mr Neill has a car (paid for), astrously "disrupt pounced on its: Over Pendle. He took me for a run in it round sant existence.

The result wat that the In- Derwentwater. We passed a But despite all this, I would come from Nell's Best and large house on the opposite side not be surprised if the story of Nel leads to quite a Robert was of the lake to Neill's home. inust successful book

being started sald Neill, few first novoin rapidly more than doubled.

"You see that?" Now came the moment of "That's why there's no chance this weekend.

After all, the suburban trains decision. Neill had no capital of an author winning any great I was invited to lunch with behind him-just what he had praise In Keswick. That's where get more. crowded every day; 'Mr Steidle teday. I decided not saved from his, teaching job, Hugh Walpole ved."

T

"The beauty preparations we make have no mineral oils. They entirely vegetable. They are so pure you can eat the cream-and-drink the complexion milk,"

to rleks it.

-(London Express Service),

and the windfall from Over Pendle,

Mist

Mr Nelli was not at all de- Keswick are waiting to do busl❤ pressed.

and the property agents in

ness.

PUSH-OVER BID

Tha jutca W

WORE CARYTIENT by arrangement with the Munazerrter Operdian

forms me that Dr Walt W. cucumbers has many beautify-

!

重