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The Gilt Kid
The first of a trilogy of novels by the undeservedly obscure James Curtis, whose works rivalled those of his contemporaries Graham Greene and Christopher Isherwood. Curtis, after a middle class upbringing, embraced leftist politics and turned to the underworld, writing novels about criminals, prostitutes, and boxers. After the 1930s he began a slide into obscurity, and today is one of British literatures great 'missing persons.'
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1936
About the author
James Curtis
7 books8 followersBritish author best known for his novels They Drive By Night and There Ain't No Justice, both of which were made into feature films.
James Curtis was born Geoffrey Basil Maiden, in Sturry, Kent. Curtis' parents were hoteliers in India as well as later in England, where Curtis attended The King's School, Canterbury. In 1934, he appeared in two films, Manhattan Melodrama and Fugitive Lady, in uncredited roles. He soon adopted the pseudonym of James Curtis and began a career as an author.
Curtis used his plots to highlight the unfairness of society and dearth of opportunity that often led people to break the law in straitened times. He was forced to stop writing at the outbreak of World War II during which he went on to tour France and Burma, and rose to the rank of Major. After the war, his marriage failed and his literary momentum never recovered, though he published one final novel in the 1950s.
In 2007, London Books republished his 1936 novel, The Gilt Kid and in 2008 They Drive By Night, as part of their London Classics series.
James Curtis was born Geoffrey Basil Maiden, in Sturry, Kent. Curtis' parents were hoteliers in India as well as later in England, where Curtis attended The King's School, Canterbury. In 1934, he appeared in two films, Manhattan Melodrama and Fugitive Lady, in uncredited roles. He soon adopted the pseudonym of James Curtis and began a career as an author.
Curtis used his plots to highlight the unfairness of society and dearth of opportunity that often led people to break the law in straitened times. He was forced to stop writing at the outbreak of World War II during which he went on to tour France and Burma, and rose to the rank of Major. After the war, his marriage failed and his literary momentum never recovered, though he published one final novel in the 1950s.
In 2007, London Books republished his 1936 novel, The Gilt Kid and in 2008 They Drive By Night, as part of their London Classics series.
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January 8, 2020Grim slice of life type crime novel, centring on the emotionally stunted life of a minor criminal. Ken talks the big man but you see the glimmers of a better human somewhere in there: he aspires to political awareness, has sympathy for the homeless and for gay men, and is randomly kind to a young prostitute, but each flash of humanity is quickly subsumed in ego, alcohol, or fear of what people might think of him. It's a fairly depressing experience, though a vivid picture of the misery of the time. Almost incomprehensible with slang at points but still a compelling read.
August 14, 2010
If not only a remarkable noir (and it is) "The Gilt Kid" is an important document of a certain type of crime underground life in London 1930's. London is almost a character in itself in this novel, along with our anti-hero The Gilt Kid, called that because he's blonde.
A habit criminal who specializes in breaking into London flats and offices to steal, is sort of on an existential course between desire and living day-by-day. He's lonely but can't articulate his world via language, but by action he sees each day as an adventure of sorts - but alas, a very limited adventure. He basically can't see his future more than a few days at a time.
There is a Marxist bent in the story, because The Gilt Kid struggles with reading "Capital" but with little understanding, but he sort of gets the drift of it. The classic aspect of the book is the focus on the side characters that he meets up on the streets of Soho. Hardcore slang, lots of smoking and drinking milkey tea - along with the occasional brandy and various beers. Its a dead-end street, but a road that is still colorful and kind of beautiful in a depressing way.
A habit criminal who specializes in breaking into London flats and offices to steal, is sort of on an existential course between desire and living day-by-day. He's lonely but can't articulate his world via language, but by action he sees each day as an adventure of sorts - but alas, a very limited adventure. He basically can't see his future more than a few days at a time.
There is a Marxist bent in the story, because The Gilt Kid struggles with reading "Capital" but with little understanding, but he sort of gets the drift of it. The classic aspect of the book is the focus on the side characters that he meets up on the streets of Soho. Hardcore slang, lots of smoking and drinking milkey tea - along with the occasional brandy and various beers. Its a dead-end street, but a road that is still colorful and kind of beautiful in a depressing way.
March 10, 2013
"In the cold truth, nobody in the world cared a damn about him. He was as lonely here, at liberty in the streets of London, as ever he had been, sitting on the floor of his locked cell in prison sewing mailbags. It was a hell of a life."
Written in 1936 - and containing a cast of criminals, dossers, prostitutes and down-and-outs - this is an incredibly vivid and authentic evocation of a side of London seldom depicted in fiction during this era. Apparently James Curtis, the author, was a regular face around the pubs and clubs of the West End, where he rubbed up against London's underworld, and this first hand experience shines through. The book feels really authentic: peppered with colourful slang (and no glossary), the tale whips along. The Gilt Kid is a habitual housebreaker, just released from prison, who tells his own story of the next few days. He has no intention of working, and from his bedsit in Victoria spends his time in the West End drinking and scheming with criminals, dossers, and prostitutes. Whilst the book incorporates some politics - The Gilt Kid's one and only book being Marx's Das Kapital - it's more a visceral thriller. At the core of the book is a burglary that doesn't exactly go to plan and is superbly written. The book also incorporates some romance, social comment, politics and philosophy.
As Paul Willetts puts it in his introduction, "...reading The Gilt Kid for the first time is akin to watching some hitherto undiscovered classic black and white British crime movie, replete with memorable performances and tantalising glimpses of a lost world."
I really enjoyed the experience of reading a 1930s London novel from the perspective of an unapologetic, dyed-in-the-wool criminal.
Written in 1936 - and containing a cast of criminals, dossers, prostitutes and down-and-outs - this is an incredibly vivid and authentic evocation of a side of London seldom depicted in fiction during this era. Apparently James Curtis, the author, was a regular face around the pubs and clubs of the West End, where he rubbed up against London's underworld, and this first hand experience shines through. The book feels really authentic: peppered with colourful slang (and no glossary), the tale whips along. The Gilt Kid is a habitual housebreaker, just released from prison, who tells his own story of the next few days. He has no intention of working, and from his bedsit in Victoria spends his time in the West End drinking and scheming with criminals, dossers, and prostitutes. Whilst the book incorporates some politics - The Gilt Kid's one and only book being Marx's Das Kapital - it's more a visceral thriller. At the core of the book is a burglary that doesn't exactly go to plan and is superbly written. The book also incorporates some romance, social comment, politics and philosophy.
As Paul Willetts puts it in his introduction, "...reading The Gilt Kid for the first time is akin to watching some hitherto undiscovered classic black and white British crime movie, replete with memorable performances and tantalising glimpses of a lost world."
I really enjoyed the experience of reading a 1930s London novel from the perspective of an unapologetic, dyed-in-the-wool criminal.
August 4, 2019
William Kennedy (The Gilt Kid) is a young burglar just released from a London prison in the mid-1930s. Despite his youth, The Kid is a confirmed and dedicated career criminal, rejecting all thoughts of the straight life and its attendant commitments. Nursing a limited cash supply, the Kid is on the lookout for lucrative burglary opportunities and two soon come his way. Somewhat complicating his life is a chance meeting with a past lover, with whom he soon reengages, although she is currently the mistress of a prosperous middle class businessman. The Kid finds himself enmeshed in events soon spiraling out of control with “The Old Bill” hot on his trail.
Curtis maintains suspense throughout and provides an ending that ran counter to my expectations and all to the good for that. The strength of the book lies in his characterizations of London’s depression-era low level criminals and their associates: their attitudes, ambitions and hopes. A clear picture emerges of a distinct criminal sub-culture and the environment that spawned it. Rich language (the slang is mostly manageable to current readers, I think) and the gritty atmosphere is leavened with some humor. The Gilt Kid is a multi-faceted character, not all good, not all bad, who struggles not with his commitment to a life of crime, but with the consequences it sometimes has on those around him. He sees himself as being able to handle whatever grief his crimes may cause him personally. The Kid walks an emotional tightrope throughout the story that is skillfully interwoven by Curtis throughout the action, thereby amplifying the suspense in the story: we are never quite sure what choices The Kid will make during key moments in the plot.
Paul Willetts provides both an informative introduction and a valuable interview with James Curtis’ daughter, Nicolette Edwards. Both are important because biographical information about Curtis is sketchy at best. Curtis experienced the bulk of his literary success (such as it was) in the late thirties, but thereafter led a rather peripatetic and relatively obscure life, much of the obscurity and loneliness seemingly self-imposed by his tightly held system of personal values.
Curtis, when he is written about at all, is mentioned alongside English left wing or “proletarian” writers of the thirties, but neither this book, nor the other Curtis novel I have read, THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT, contain the polemical elements that often characterize such writing. The Gilt Kid is interested and somewhat sympathetic with the communist movement and we find him reading Das Kapital, but he is impatient with and critical of its dense language and convoluted logic. He is somewhat bewildered by the purpose of mass demonstrations and questions their effectiveness. The Kid is a man of action and he chooses to deal personally and directly with the class enemy by stealing their loot. Curtis delivers no lectures; he places his characters in their context and they make the best of it with what they have, joining no movements and forming very limited and transitional partnerships along the way. The Kid’s choices are his own, but he is far from being a mindless thug; the logic of his own ethos is torturous and convoluted, but he is aware (or very close to it) that most of his actions are self-serving and ultimately, self-destructive.
Curtis maintains suspense throughout and provides an ending that ran counter to my expectations and all to the good for that. The strength of the book lies in his characterizations of London’s depression-era low level criminals and their associates: their attitudes, ambitions and hopes. A clear picture emerges of a distinct criminal sub-culture and the environment that spawned it. Rich language (the slang is mostly manageable to current readers, I think) and the gritty atmosphere is leavened with some humor. The Gilt Kid is a multi-faceted character, not all good, not all bad, who struggles not with his commitment to a life of crime, but with the consequences it sometimes has on those around him. He sees himself as being able to handle whatever grief his crimes may cause him personally. The Kid walks an emotional tightrope throughout the story that is skillfully interwoven by Curtis throughout the action, thereby amplifying the suspense in the story: we are never quite sure what choices The Kid will make during key moments in the plot.
Paul Willetts provides both an informative introduction and a valuable interview with James Curtis’ daughter, Nicolette Edwards. Both are important because biographical information about Curtis is sketchy at best. Curtis experienced the bulk of his literary success (such as it was) in the late thirties, but thereafter led a rather peripatetic and relatively obscure life, much of the obscurity and loneliness seemingly self-imposed by his tightly held system of personal values.
Curtis, when he is written about at all, is mentioned alongside English left wing or “proletarian” writers of the thirties, but neither this book, nor the other Curtis novel I have read, THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT, contain the polemical elements that often characterize such writing. The Gilt Kid is interested and somewhat sympathetic with the communist movement and we find him reading Das Kapital, but he is impatient with and critical of its dense language and convoluted logic. He is somewhat bewildered by the purpose of mass demonstrations and questions their effectiveness. The Kid is a man of action and he chooses to deal personally and directly with the class enemy by stealing their loot. Curtis delivers no lectures; he places his characters in their context and they make the best of it with what they have, joining no movements and forming very limited and transitional partnerships along the way. The Kid’s choices are his own, but he is far from being a mindless thug; the logic of his own ethos is torturous and convoluted, but he is aware (or very close to it) that most of his actions are self-serving and ultimately, self-destructive.
April 22, 2014
It’s 1935 and the Gilt Kid, fresh out of stir, has twenty three nicker and is ready for a wet. He’s a burglar by trade (“I got nicked for screwing. That’s my lark, really”) and the streets and pubs of prewar London are the Gilt Kid’s home patch, from Pimlico to Maida Vale.
It’s a step or two down from the lowlife milieu of Patrick Hamilton’s London novels. James Curtis takes us deeper into the underworld of thieves, prostitutes, and rough-living bums – and that’s where we stay. Shady meetings in quiet pubs and dodgy cafes, plans made, police avoided, crimes undertaken, penalties paid. The underworld argot – a strange mix of rhyming slang, parlary, and Romany – is a feature of the book and The Gilt Kid seems to be one of the key sources for Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang, judging by the number of times it’s cited. It sometimes seems that the novel is a vehicle for James Curtis to display his knowledge of the lingo – especially when he’s obliged to give what amounts to a translation – but that’s ok with me.
The fact that the Gilt Kid is supposedly a communist and is trying to read Das Kapital (without much success) is harder to swallow, but possibly not so unusual in the 1930s. Mind you, he’s more enthusiastic about the Revolution than Marxist theory: “Instead of messing about with dopey meetings why don’t you give the boys something? Start a riot. Lead a row in Bond Street and loot all the shops.”
Meanwhile the Gilt Kid does his bit to redistribute wealth. He’s a soft touch for the down and out...but doesn’t pass muster as a feminist. Not surprising in 1935. It’s a lost time and a lost world. Great book. Well worth reprinting.
It’s a step or two down from the lowlife milieu of Patrick Hamilton’s London novels. James Curtis takes us deeper into the underworld of thieves, prostitutes, and rough-living bums – and that’s where we stay. Shady meetings in quiet pubs and dodgy cafes, plans made, police avoided, crimes undertaken, penalties paid. The underworld argot – a strange mix of rhyming slang, parlary, and Romany – is a feature of the book and The Gilt Kid seems to be one of the key sources for Partridge’s Dictionary of Slang, judging by the number of times it’s cited. It sometimes seems that the novel is a vehicle for James Curtis to display his knowledge of the lingo – especially when he’s obliged to give what amounts to a translation – but that’s ok with me.
The fact that the Gilt Kid is supposedly a communist and is trying to read Das Kapital (without much success) is harder to swallow, but possibly not so unusual in the 1930s. Mind you, he’s more enthusiastic about the Revolution than Marxist theory: “Instead of messing about with dopey meetings why don’t you give the boys something? Start a riot. Lead a row in Bond Street and loot all the shops.”
Meanwhile the Gilt Kid does his bit to redistribute wealth. He’s a soft touch for the down and out...but doesn’t pass muster as a feminist. Not surprising in 1935. It’s a lost time and a lost world. Great book. Well worth reprinting.
February 20, 2026
As can often be the case with crime novels of the era (1930s) the plot is neither very plausible, nor very coherent… but, that isn’t really the point here, as the prose and dialogue are excellent, along with the vivid picture of the London underworld of the day.
The Gilt Kid, as he is known, has been recently released from prison. Wandering the streets in the days after he meets with fellow criminals, gets drunk, consorts with prostitutes and, in the dramatic centrepiece of the novel, takes part in a daring robbery. Hardly an advertisement for the prison service.
The settings include Soho cafes, pubs, nightclubs, late-night coffee stalls and, inevitably, and police cells. Curtis’s eye for detail and his ear for arcane slang are remarkable. The book is well worth reading for the dialogue alone. As is his refusal to judge his characters which is rare for the period as the publisher Penguin themselves demonstrate on the back page..
The Gilt Kid, as he is known, has been recently released from prison. Wandering the streets in the days after he meets with fellow criminals, gets drunk, consorts with prostitutes and, in the dramatic centrepiece of the novel, takes part in a daring robbery. Hardly an advertisement for the prison service.
The settings include Soho cafes, pubs, nightclubs, late-night coffee stalls and, inevitably, and police cells. Curtis’s eye for detail and his ear for arcane slang are remarkable. The book is well worth reading for the dialogue alone. As is his refusal to judge his characters which is rare for the period as the publisher Penguin themselves demonstrate on the back page..
The Gilt Kid is the story of a fully-fledged spiv who, at twenty-five, has reached the conclusion that “only saps work”. He is one of the tougher specimens of that deplorable tribe. The world in which he belongs is that segment of Soho where in their dirty little cafes parasites of all the human species abound.If ever such blurb was enough to put the reader off this is a case..
December 21, 2016
solid read, which, as the intro points out, is both literary fiction and noir. its a trip back in time to the 30s underbelly version of London districts i know well - Soho, Pimlico, Hammersmith. the now obscure Curtis was from a middle class background but became steeped in the slang, outlook and preoccupations of the working class. this is an immersive and deeply authentic feeling piece, free from moralizing or judgement, sometimes bleak and always turbo and hectic
March 10, 2021
'Why she would probably want him to give up the crooked lark altogether and get a job or some damn thing of that sort. Nice he would look punching a bloody time-clock every morning and saying 'Yes sir'. God damn it, a bloke might just as good be inside.'
This was an interesting insight into the life of petty criminals in 1930s London. This was written well and was full of witty humour.
This was an interesting insight into the life of petty criminals in 1930s London. This was written well and was full of witty humour.
March 13, 2016
This book is a good account of how easy it was to get immersed in a criminal lifestyle in 30s London. The main character takes the majority of the limelight but the lesser characters such as the homeless person in Trafalgar Square and the ex-con at court reflect on the social injustices of that time.
There seems to be no consideration of what could wrong with taking the decisions that he does and maybe that shows the lack of hope that there was. Prison always beckons but it's a risk worth taking, even if there's some police brutality en route. There is a fatality and some slight reflection, but then it's on with show; no one cares about the Gilt Kid so why should he care about them?
The rhyming slang of the time is a bit of a challenge but it is an integral part of that lifestyle and, therefore, needs to be so.
There seems to be no consideration of what could wrong with taking the decisions that he does and maybe that shows the lack of hope that there was. Prison always beckons but it's a risk worth taking, even if there's some police brutality en route. There is a fatality and some slight reflection, but then it's on with show; no one cares about the Gilt Kid so why should he care about them?
The rhyming slang of the time is a bit of a challenge but it is an integral part of that lifestyle and, therefore, needs to be so.
December 9, 2021
Gritty noir depiction of a small-time crook (burglar) in 1930's London. Suffused with authentic slang/detail of interactions with prostitutes/homeless/criminal underworld/police/courts. The character of the Gilt Kid himself is superbly realised and mesmerisingly compelling in his irredeemable criminality. Travesty that James Curtis is not MUCH better known/cherished as British noir master.
September 25, 2019
My second James Curtis novel. The problem is that the gilt kid himself isn’t a likeable character at all. The plot came together impressively at the end though. I preferred There Ain’t No Justice.
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