Swank

by David Tudor

Originally published in 1986, 'Swank' tells the story of Swank himself, his sometime girlfriend Carrie, and some of their friends. It is set in the immediate post-punk era of the early ‘80s, and tells of struggles with the benefits system, the music business, and just generally the world. But mostly it is about the individuals. Swank, creative but chaotic with a tendency to violence. Carrie, Swank is her only real alternative to a hard life on the streets. Kim, transgender in a time before transgender was widely known about or accepted. Alison, followed a different path to Swank but ended up in a similar cul-de-sac of thwarted dreams. Sometimes grim, sometimes funny, Swank was taken directly from life and paints a short-lived and now distant era in flesh and blood colours.

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 23, 1986

About the author

Author of "Swank" (1986) and "The Tram Driver: The Art of Tram Driving" (2007). The author is British.