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Dog Days in Soho: One Man's Adventures in 1950s Bohemia
Nigel Richardson first met Josh Avery when he was a boy, but it was only much later that he got to know him well. Richardson was fascinated by the anecdotes of Avery's life in and around the post-war Soho that included Daniel Farson, William Empson, George Barker, Henrietta Moraes, John Minton, and Francis Bacon. Richardson was never quite sure if the stories were true or not, but it seemed not to matter. In Dog Days in Soho Richardson has woven a life of Josh that might be true in every detail, or might not. Employing the same technique as in his highly acclaimed Breakfast in Brighton, he has produced a book which captures the essence of a time and a place now gone.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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33 people want to read
About the author
Nigel Richardson
41 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 18, 2018
Celebrates and debunks the romanticism that surrounds 1950s Soho
Having just read, and really enjoyed 'Breakfast in Brighton: Adventures on the Edge of Britain' by Nigel Richardson, I went straight back in for a second book by the same author.
Nigel Richardson has imagined a fair amount of this biography of Josh Avery. This technique might not be to everyone's taste but for me works beautifully and is a legitimate way of trying to get to the essence of a biographical subject.
Who was Josh Avery? In a nutshell, he was the stepfather of one of Nigel Richardson's school friends. Nigel Richardson was fascinated by the anecdotes he told, many of which centred around the time he spent in London's Soho in the 1950s - an era when the area was renowned for its bohemian characters such as Francis Bacon, Henrietta Moraes, Muriel Belcher, Norman Bowler, Daniel Farson, John Deakin etc. Annoyingly for Nigel Richardson, Josh died shortly after Nigel had resolved to write a biography about him. Using this development to his advantage, Nigel Richardson drew upon a combination of research, interviews and imagination to get to the heart of Josh Avery and his time in Soho.
The book starts in thrall to Josh Avery and 1950s Soho, however as the story progresses, concurrently revealing elements of Nigel Richardson's own background and personal journey, the reader starts to see different aspects to the stories and characters, many of which are dark and disturbing.
'Breakfast in Brighton: Adventures on the Edge of Britain' is magnificent. 'Dog Days in Soho: One Man's Adventures in 1950s Bohemia' is even better. I have a long standing fascination with London and in particular its twentieth century history, so, to an extent, I was always likely to enjoy this book. That said, this book is much more than a biography. It both celebrates and debunks the romanticism that surrounds 1950s Soho and reveals some dark truths about sexuality, jealousy, creativity, revenge, status, reinvention, love, self-destruction, obsession, duty and the human condition. It's all here - it's a stunning book.
5/5
Having just read, and really enjoyed 'Breakfast in Brighton: Adventures on the Edge of Britain' by Nigel Richardson, I went straight back in for a second book by the same author.
Nigel Richardson has imagined a fair amount of this biography of Josh Avery. This technique might not be to everyone's taste but for me works beautifully and is a legitimate way of trying to get to the essence of a biographical subject.
Who was Josh Avery? In a nutshell, he was the stepfather of one of Nigel Richardson's school friends. Nigel Richardson was fascinated by the anecdotes he told, many of which centred around the time he spent in London's Soho in the 1950s - an era when the area was renowned for its bohemian characters such as Francis Bacon, Henrietta Moraes, Muriel Belcher, Norman Bowler, Daniel Farson, John Deakin etc. Annoyingly for Nigel Richardson, Josh died shortly after Nigel had resolved to write a biography about him. Using this development to his advantage, Nigel Richardson drew upon a combination of research, interviews and imagination to get to the heart of Josh Avery and his time in Soho.
The book starts in thrall to Josh Avery and 1950s Soho, however as the story progresses, concurrently revealing elements of Nigel Richardson's own background and personal journey, the reader starts to see different aspects to the stories and characters, many of which are dark and disturbing.
'Breakfast in Brighton: Adventures on the Edge of Britain' is magnificent. 'Dog Days in Soho: One Man's Adventures in 1950s Bohemia' is even better. I have a long standing fascination with London and in particular its twentieth century history, so, to an extent, I was always likely to enjoy this book. That said, this book is much more than a biography. It both celebrates and debunks the romanticism that surrounds 1950s Soho and reveals some dark truths about sexuality, jealousy, creativity, revenge, status, reinvention, love, self-destruction, obsession, duty and the human condition. It's all here - it's a stunning book.
5/5
October 3, 2008
It seems fitting that I bought this book in Soho, London from a porn shop that also has a great 'general' bookstore on the top floor. Usually the dirty stuff is in the basement in these type of stores. Nevertheless this is a very good book that is a combination of fiction, memoir, and history of 1950's Soho life.
Which means characters like the great painter Francis Bacon, the great doomed photographer John Deakin, Bacon and Deakin's model and party girl of the time, Henrietta Moraes, and the totally obscure and main character in this story, Josh Avery. The author of this story is part detective who goes into modern 'Soho' to investigate the identity of Avery, and his complicated relations with the above characters. But of course 1950's Soho is a major character in this narrative as well.
What's fascinating to me is that so much was happening culturally in the 1950's. All against the norm of the times. Paris' St. Germain, the Beat scene in San Francisco, the NYC art scene, and of course London Soho. All of them were urban areas that formatted a series of geniuses on the cultural scene.
Nigel Richardson (a name so British, it's fantastic) did a really good job in making Soho a truly magical spot on this planet. And when I walk there now, I still can feel the history via the buildings, and an occasional person or two.
Which means characters like the great painter Francis Bacon, the great doomed photographer John Deakin, Bacon and Deakin's model and party girl of the time, Henrietta Moraes, and the totally obscure and main character in this story, Josh Avery. The author of this story is part detective who goes into modern 'Soho' to investigate the identity of Avery, and his complicated relations with the above characters. But of course 1950's Soho is a major character in this narrative as well.
What's fascinating to me is that so much was happening culturally in the 1950's. All against the norm of the times. Paris' St. Germain, the Beat scene in San Francisco, the NYC art scene, and of course London Soho. All of them were urban areas that formatted a series of geniuses on the cultural scene.
Nigel Richardson (a name so British, it's fantastic) did a really good job in making Soho a truly magical spot on this planet. And when I walk there now, I still can feel the history via the buildings, and an occasional person or two.
October 29, 2025
I bought this book for a couple of quid in the upstairs “general” section of a porn shop in Soho 20 or more years ago and then forgot all about it until now. The shop is, no doubt,long gone. I may even have ventured downstairs to the…less “general”… section, who knows?
It was not lost on me how fitting that is to this story.
Richardson had set out to write about 1950s Soho through the reminiscences of his friend’s stepfather, Josh. Sadly, and very frustratingly, Josh drops dead before he has told Richardson much at all and so this fascinating book becomes something quite different, a semi-imagined biography of what Josh might or might not have said and done. Quite a strange book, really, interlaced with some peculiar parallel stories of the author’s own, also of doubtful provenance.
The style of the writing is journalistic: strong, commanding prose of the highest quality. This author knows how to tell a story and keep your attention. I loved it.
It was not lost on me how fitting that is to this story.
Richardson had set out to write about 1950s Soho through the reminiscences of his friend’s stepfather, Josh. Sadly, and very frustratingly, Josh drops dead before he has told Richardson much at all and so this fascinating book becomes something quite different, a semi-imagined biography of what Josh might or might not have said and done. Quite a strange book, really, interlaced with some peculiar parallel stories of the author’s own, also of doubtful provenance.
The style of the writing is journalistic: strong, commanding prose of the highest quality. This author knows how to tell a story and keep your attention. I loved it.
April 1, 2024
A journey back to Sohos 50s heyday. Somtimes dreamlike and often Dark, the author succeeds in marrying the past with the present. Interesting.
February 9, 2014
A mix of fact and fiction which focuses on a place somewhere in between. Soho is still the thriving social heart of London and continues to dazzle, whenever we walk along its wet winding streets.
Half biography, half novel, but wholly compelling and entirely unforgettable.
Nigel Richardson sets out in search of the glittering ghosts of a Soho past which proves as elusive as a Dean Street lamp-post at closing time.
Next stop a drink at French's - still going strong
Half biography, half novel, but wholly compelling and entirely unforgettable.
Nigel Richardson sets out in search of the glittering ghosts of a Soho past which proves as elusive as a Dean Street lamp-post at closing time.
Next stop a drink at French's - still going strong
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews