Bailey Paul : Immaculate Mistake(Hbk) by Mr Paul Bailey

by Paul Bailey

An autobiographical memoir, set for the most part in London in the 1940s and 50s, by the author of "At the Jerusalem", "Trespasses" and "An English The Life and Work of Cynthia Payne". It is composed of fifty scenes or fragments of memory which describe Bailey's parents, relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Peter Harry "Paul" Bailey was a British novelist and critic, as well as a biographer of Cynthia Payne and Quentin Crisp.

Reviews

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wat mij betreft een buitengewoon mooi voorbeeld van autobiografische literatuur. Een liefderijk beschreven jeugd in armoedige omstandigheden van jaren 40-50 Londen. Een vroeg gestorven vader en een dominante moeder complementeren het beeld van de lastige omstandigheden waarin de schrijver opgroeide, zijn hoofd rechthield en zijn creatieve doel voor ogen.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad as only British and Irish fiction can be. Sad because and in that it is transparent in its demolition of illusions, undressed, totally honest. Sad like a Sunday-morning after-party car park, like a closing-down shop or leftover tea in a mug.
I definitely need to quit reading this kind of stuff.

[Charles Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir is moderately entertaining; I even laughed out loud at one point. However, there is really nothing funny about a parent like the mother Bailey describes. Such a mother could warp her children for life.

Most Americans cannot access this classic work of gay autobiography through public libraries, and antiquarian booksellers charge a premium price for it to their customers, I want to mention where I got a chance to read it--for FREE. It is available on the Internet Archive (archive.org). One simply needs to set up an account with the website. Happy reading!

[Jerome K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met Paul Bailey when he came to Kuala Lumpur for a lit fest that was held here in 2004. He was a wonderful person to talk to. Before then I had never read anything of his then he passed me a copy of this. A few months after his visit, I read it on a single Sunday afternoon. Loved it. It's a charming autobiography of his early years, funny and moving.