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The Man on the Bridge
A love story between men—without being, basically, a novel about gay issues; more about appreciating what you have while you have it, and ultimately learning what matters to you in life.
258 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1985
9 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Benatar
17 books25 followersStephen Royce Benatar (born 26 March 1937) is an English author from London. His first published novel, The Man on the Bridge, was published in 1981. His second novel, Wish Her Safe at Home, was published in 1982 and reissued in 2007 and 2010. He is known for self-publishing and self-promoting his novels.
His first novel, written at the age of 19 and titled A Beacon In the Mist, was rejected, as were 11 subsequent novels. At the age of 44 his novel The Man on the Bridge was accepted by Harvester, and edited by Catharine Carver. He received a £400 advance for the novel. His second published novel, Wish Her Safe at Home, was published by The Bodley Head the following year. The book was inspired by the 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It was runner-up for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He also won an Arts Council bursary. One novel, Such Men Are Dangerous, was published by Scunthorpe Borough Council. However, sales of his published books were poor, and he took to self-publishing subsequent novels, including Father Of The Man, Recovery and The Golden Voyage Of Samson Groves.
In 2007, he tried to get Wish Her Safe at Home republished as a Penguin Classic but they turned him down despite an introduction by Professor John Carey hailing it as a masterpiece. He was turned down by 36 other publishers, so after slightly rewriting some of the passages he self-published 4,000 copies under his own Welbeck Classics imprint. He bumped into a man when returning some leftover wine from his book launch, and asked him to look at his book; that man was Edwin Franks, the managing editor of The New York Review of Books's publishing arm. Franks "read the book straight away and was knocked out", and The New York Review of Books published the novel in January 2010. Screen rights have been bought by a screenwriter who met Benatar in a bookshop, Henry Fitzherbert. In March 2011, Capuchin Classics will re-issue When I Was Otherwise in the UK with an introduction by academic Gillian Carey. Manuscripts and proofs of plays and novels by Benatar are archived by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, along with drafts, short stories, notebooks, research material, book review, and letters.
His first novel, written at the age of 19 and titled A Beacon In the Mist, was rejected, as were 11 subsequent novels. At the age of 44 his novel The Man on the Bridge was accepted by Harvester, and edited by Catharine Carver. He received a £400 advance for the novel. His second published novel, Wish Her Safe at Home, was published by The Bodley Head the following year. The book was inspired by the 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It was runner-up for the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He also won an Arts Council bursary. One novel, Such Men Are Dangerous, was published by Scunthorpe Borough Council. However, sales of his published books were poor, and he took to self-publishing subsequent novels, including Father Of The Man, Recovery and The Golden Voyage Of Samson Groves.
In 2007, he tried to get Wish Her Safe at Home republished as a Penguin Classic but they turned him down despite an introduction by Professor John Carey hailing it as a masterpiece. He was turned down by 36 other publishers, so after slightly rewriting some of the passages he self-published 4,000 copies under his own Welbeck Classics imprint. He bumped into a man when returning some leftover wine from his book launch, and asked him to look at his book; that man was Edwin Franks, the managing editor of The New York Review of Books's publishing arm. Franks "read the book straight away and was knocked out", and The New York Review of Books published the novel in January 2010. Screen rights have been bought by a screenwriter who met Benatar in a bookshop, Henry Fitzherbert. In March 2011, Capuchin Classics will re-issue When I Was Otherwise in the UK with an introduction by academic Gillian Carey. Manuscripts and proofs of plays and novels by Benatar are archived by the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University, along with drafts, short stories, notebooks, research material, book review, and letters.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 7, 2019
I managed to read the first 60 pages on day 1 and personally I feel the book is hopeless! I yielded it because the plot sucks. Anyone who intends to read the book can take it from me. I can give it free.
back-burner
October 3, 2018Parking this as possible Shelf-A-Thon (or other challenge) read, as published in the 198os.
November 23, 2019
The second Benatar book I read. His writing is so unusual and memory-evoking! For the first time in my life I wrote him a fan letter! Sent it to his publisher and they said they would forward on to him. They did as they promised and he wrote back! What a pleasure to communicate with a great writer! I asked him about settings in the two books I read and said they were very similar in descriptions. He responded that he was surprised that he did that and didn't even realize it. He said he based the rooms on ones in his grandmother's house. I sent a Christmas card later that year to the address on the envelope, but it was returned to me and stamped that he had moved.
January 1, 2015
Stephen Benatar is such a good writer. This is a subtle and sensitive read. The "hero" is not an unreliable narrator like Rachel in Wish Her Safe at Home, but he is not at all likeable -- selfish, grasping, and undeserving of the feelings he evokes in others. I wasn't sure he had changed all that much in the end, but at least he begins to appreciate what he has lost, and the harm he has done. The characters are all utterly believable, the sort you think about afterwards. A very absorbing read, one of the best so far this year.
October 27, 2015
A touchingly lyrical journey conveying many different types and levels of relationships.
At first I felt this novel was merely a literary pulpit for Stephen Benatar to ostentatiously buff his wordy wares but as the story grew and I became more involved in the world he had created, I was ultimately won-over and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I found myself dwelling on the characters and longing to get back to read more. The ending left me slightly dissatisfied but I'm not sure how I would have imagined it ending otherwise.
At first I felt this novel was merely a literary pulpit for Stephen Benatar to ostentatiously buff his wordy wares but as the story grew and I became more involved in the world he had created, I was ultimately won-over and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I found myself dwelling on the characters and longing to get back to read more. The ending left me slightly dissatisfied but I'm not sure how I would have imagined it ending otherwise.
January 3, 2022
Read this novel as a library book for the first time many years ago, probably around the time it was published in 1981. I read little fiction then as now but the book made such an impression on me that I never forgot the title, even if I did its author's name, which is not something I could say about any other work of fiction I've read throughout my life. Now that we'd entered the era of Amazon etc, it occurred to me that I might be able to get myself a copy online, which happily proved to be the case. On revisiting the book I came to realise why I'd never forgotten it. Its charm undoubtedly lies in the precocious sensitivity and humanity of its young protagonist, whose spiritual appeal is so endearing that his fatal attraction facilitates a vicarious empathy for his tragic lover. On closing the book one is left with a feeling of melancholic longing....such is the impression the character makes on the psyche; and perhaps it's only with a conscious effort that one rids oneself of his captivating impact on the soul.
October 23, 2014
I read the recent Dresmpinner Press version of this book.
It was interesting to me to see Dreamspinner Pressbranch out into more serious literature with Stephen Benatar’s MAN ON THE BRIDGE. I had heard comments about the imprint Bittersweet Dreams but this went beyond that to something actually important. The novel is neither HEA (happily ever after) nor HFN (happily for now) but addresses a great deal of pain and redemption in the final analysis. I applaud Dreamspinner Press for producing this fifth edition of this remarkable, may I say, astounding novel.
John Wilmot meets the suave and rich Oliver Cambourne when he is no more than 19 in the year 1958 and quickly becomes his lover. They reminded me of Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, with the older man’s affection for the younger and the callousness of the younger man’s selfish regard in return. There is a great deal of witty badinage in the first third of the book as Oliver and John jet about, almost literally, on Oliver’s checkbook, to Biarritz, and with no responsibility for John paying for anything. One gets the sense that John in his way really cares about Oliver, but he talks himself into betraying the older man, with dire consequences. That may sound like the plot of the novel but it is in fact about John’s guilt at those dire consequences and how he manages to deal with what he has done.
Benatar does an astounding job of showing the good and bad sides not only of the youthfully selfish John but the overcompensating Oliver who manages to belittle and demean John by turning him into a pet. The gray areas of the mutual affection are quite well portrayed. Even when John has moved on to his new life the selfishness and callousness keeps coming through. What Oliver has done more wholly punishes John and one is left wondering if Oliver did that on purpose. My eyes grew wider and wider as I realized just how poetic the justice was. If John can find redemption given all that has happened, it will be a remarkable accomplishment.
One point made is that John does not believe he is homosexual and, in fact, marries a woman with whom he has a satisfying sex life. That it is little more than that says more about the importance of the two man’s relationship than if John had only been interested in sex with the woman. He is bisexual, yes, but that’s not the point of his bond with the important person in his life. This may b the case with a huge number of people living now, but we are so polarized that we mistakenly insist on the either-or.
That all this happens at the time of the Wolfenden Report when the British finally realized how devastating their laws against homo sexual acts were is no coincidence. The creative and artistic community in Britain took a very hard blow from its sensitive same sex loving man being imprisoned while the death penalty for murder was outlawed. The irony of these two bits of jurisprudence comes through with the actions of the main characters. Early in novel the “man on the bridge” is a painting by Oliver of a young man arrested for, tried for, found guilty for and executed for a murdered he did not commit simply, it is implied, because the real murderer was his male lover. This single image informs the ironies, injustice and cruelties of the entire story. It is painful to realize how recent this all took place.
Benatar handles all the excruciating details with sensitivity but lets the injustice hit the reader nonetheless. This is not a novel that one will easily recover from, no less forget.
From That's All I Read, http://kitmossrviews.blogspot.com
It was interesting to me to see Dreamspinner Pressbranch out into more serious literature with Stephen Benatar’s MAN ON THE BRIDGE. I had heard comments about the imprint Bittersweet Dreams but this went beyond that to something actually important. The novel is neither HEA (happily ever after) nor HFN (happily for now) but addresses a great deal of pain and redemption in the final analysis. I applaud Dreamspinner Press for producing this fifth edition of this remarkable, may I say, astounding novel.
John Wilmot meets the suave and rich Oliver Cambourne when he is no more than 19 in the year 1958 and quickly becomes his lover. They reminded me of Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, with the older man’s affection for the younger and the callousness of the younger man’s selfish regard in return. There is a great deal of witty badinage in the first third of the book as Oliver and John jet about, almost literally, on Oliver’s checkbook, to Biarritz, and with no responsibility for John paying for anything. One gets the sense that John in his way really cares about Oliver, but he talks himself into betraying the older man, with dire consequences. That may sound like the plot of the novel but it is in fact about John’s guilt at those dire consequences and how he manages to deal with what he has done.
Benatar does an astounding job of showing the good and bad sides not only of the youthfully selfish John but the overcompensating Oliver who manages to belittle and demean John by turning him into a pet. The gray areas of the mutual affection are quite well portrayed. Even when John has moved on to his new life the selfishness and callousness keeps coming through. What Oliver has done more wholly punishes John and one is left wondering if Oliver did that on purpose. My eyes grew wider and wider as I realized just how poetic the justice was. If John can find redemption given all that has happened, it will be a remarkable accomplishment.
One point made is that John does not believe he is homosexual and, in fact, marries a woman with whom he has a satisfying sex life. That it is little more than that says more about the importance of the two man’s relationship than if John had only been interested in sex with the woman. He is bisexual, yes, but that’s not the point of his bond with the important person in his life. This may b the case with a huge number of people living now, but we are so polarized that we mistakenly insist on the either-or.
That all this happens at the time of the Wolfenden Report when the British finally realized how devastating their laws against homo sexual acts were is no coincidence. The creative and artistic community in Britain took a very hard blow from its sensitive same sex loving man being imprisoned while the death penalty for murder was outlawed. The irony of these two bits of jurisprudence comes through with the actions of the main characters. Early in novel the “man on the bridge” is a painting by Oliver of a young man arrested for, tried for, found guilty for and executed for a murdered he did not commit simply, it is implied, because the real murderer was his male lover. This single image informs the ironies, injustice and cruelties of the entire story. It is painful to realize how recent this all took place.
Benatar handles all the excruciating details with sensitivity but lets the injustice hit the reader nonetheless. This is not a novel that one will easily recover from, no less forget.
From That's All I Read, http://kitmossrviews.blogspot.com
August 8, 2014
What a load of pompous crap! That just about sums up my thoughts on this book (or at least the part of the book that I could tolerate reading.). Contrary to the author, I do not need a hundred words to say that which can be said in six words. The author may take pride in knowing that this is the fifth edition of this book, by the fifth different publishing house. But, I do not understand why should be public be subjected to repeated republication of a windbag's self-aggrandizement.
I acknowledge that I only made it through the first 70 pages of this book. I found it replete with elements that turn me off. Let me give a few examples.
Ok, first annoying thing about the book -- the stupid introduction giving a critique of the book that is about to be read. Who cares? This not the Oprah book-of-the-month discussion club: this book is marketed as a m/m romance novel. If the book is well written, do we really need a five page introduction to explain what is included in the text?
Second annoying thing about the book -- the interspersing of untranslated French phrases in the book. For example, the younger main character, John, says "thank you", and instead of writing something like -- "and in a formal French text, Oliver says "you're welcome", the author actually uses the formal former French response of "je t'en prie", instead of the more common phrase of "de rien". I speak French, but even for me some of the very tenses that are used in the interspersed dialogue are difficult to understand. (And there is an entire page of untranslated French in this book that left me saying, WTF? I did not realize that fluency in French was required to read an English based m/m romance novel. I understood most of the words, but why was there no translation? But more to the point, why didn't the author figure out a way to convey his thoughts without resorting the an untranslated language?).
I will say that the author describes his own pompous attitude in the book as being smug. Clearly, the author is attempting to show that either he or his main character, Oliver, is a "man of the world", when, in effect he is just being a pompous pig. (Since it is the author who is doing a disservice to his readers, I must presume that it is the author who suffers from the aforesaid affliction. And yes, I can be as wordy as the author when I really just want to say, WTF! over and over again.).
Third annoying thing about this book -- it is like reading a version of "My Dinner With Andre" or "A Room with a View". They are spectacular to see in the movie screen, but reading about every damn facial expression and nuance of speech gets tiresome and boring very quickly.
After 70 pages, I simply cannot tolerate this drivel for another word. In have read well over five hundred novels in the past three and a half years. I post reviews here for some of those books. For those who read my reviews, it is apparent that I even read bad novels all the way to the end. But, on this one, I waive the white flag and surrender. This becomes the second book in three and a half years that I simply cannot continue reading.
Obviously, someone must like this book, but not me. I will give it one star because the author managed to take what should have been a twenty page short story and drag it out into a 220 page novel. For that, I suppose the author deserves praise.
I acknowledge that I only made it through the first 70 pages of this book. I found it replete with elements that turn me off. Let me give a few examples.
Ok, first annoying thing about the book -- the stupid introduction giving a critique of the book that is about to be read. Who cares? This not the Oprah book-of-the-month discussion club: this book is marketed as a m/m romance novel. If the book is well written, do we really need a five page introduction to explain what is included in the text?
Second annoying thing about the book -- the interspersing of untranslated French phrases in the book. For example, the younger main character, John, says "thank you", and instead of writing something like -- "and in a formal French text, Oliver says "you're welcome", the author actually uses the formal former French response of "je t'en prie", instead of the more common phrase of "de rien". I speak French, but even for me some of the very tenses that are used in the interspersed dialogue are difficult to understand. (And there is an entire page of untranslated French in this book that left me saying, WTF? I did not realize that fluency in French was required to read an English based m/m romance novel. I understood most of the words, but why was there no translation? But more to the point, why didn't the author figure out a way to convey his thoughts without resorting the an untranslated language?).
I will say that the author describes his own pompous attitude in the book as being smug. Clearly, the author is attempting to show that either he or his main character, Oliver, is a "man of the world", when, in effect he is just being a pompous pig. (Since it is the author who is doing a disservice to his readers, I must presume that it is the author who suffers from the aforesaid affliction. And yes, I can be as wordy as the author when I really just want to say, WTF! over and over again.).
Third annoying thing about this book -- it is like reading a version of "My Dinner With Andre" or "A Room with a View". They are spectacular to see in the movie screen, but reading about every damn facial expression and nuance of speech gets tiresome and boring very quickly.
After 70 pages, I simply cannot tolerate this drivel for another word. In have read well over five hundred novels in the past three and a half years. I post reviews here for some of those books. For those who read my reviews, it is apparent that I even read bad novels all the way to the end. But, on this one, I waive the white flag and surrender. This becomes the second book in three and a half years that I simply cannot continue reading.
Obviously, someone must like this book, but not me. I will give it one star because the author managed to take what should have been a twenty page short story and drag it out into a 220 page novel. For that, I suppose the author deserves praise.
December 5, 2014
1950s. Narrator, a morally bankrupt young man meets older, wealthy, gay artist (who never seems to do any painting). A mutually satisfying relationship ensues of a Pygmalion nature. Young man begins to feel trapped and infantilised so elopes with a determined young American heiress. Meanwhile, he keeps his genteel but cash-strapped mother and great aunt in the dark. Broken-hearted artist, who, it emerges, had had an RAF lover who was shot down in WW2) jumps off a bridge and drowns. Yes, this book is full of literary cliches! Young man is filled with feelings of remorse, his long-suffering wife leaves him, and after an afternoon of sustained drinking, heads for that same bridge...
While the books has sparks of genius (the gift of the train set, for example and the character of the narrator), I found the extensive use of 'clever' dialogue trying, I disliked most of the characters and I was relieved when it ended (especially the the way it did).
While the books has sparks of genius (the gift of the train set, for example and the character of the narrator), I found the extensive use of 'clever' dialogue trying, I disliked most of the characters and I was relieved when it ended (especially the the way it did).
October 3, 2022
I've been wanting to review this book for quite a while, but the thing is - I could write a lot about it but I don't even know where to start. You know those books, that make you feel and think and that confuse you a bit and make you wonder about all sorts of things? This was such a book for me. It drew me in very quickly, the writing style and often original and quick-witted dialogue did appeal a lot.
London in the Fifties: A young man with rather scarce means begins a romance with an older, well established artist. Young Man's approach to their involvement is more of an adventure, Artist however, turns out to be highly emotionally involved ... which leads to ... Well, I won't tell.
The less you know about what's coming, the better ...
Certainly one of the best books I've read so far this year.
(The one-star deduction is owed to certain goings-on towards the end, which kind of touched upon a personal pet-peeve of mine. It's a great read all the same.)
London in the Fifties: A young man with rather scarce means begins a romance with an older, well established artist. Young Man's approach to their involvement is more of an adventure, Artist however, turns out to be highly emotionally involved ... which leads to ... Well, I won't tell.
The less you know about what's coming, the better ...
Certainly one of the best books I've read so far this year.
(The one-star deduction is owed to certain goings-on towards the end, which kind of touched upon a personal pet-peeve of mine. It's a great read all the same.)
January 23, 2014
I preferred this to ‘Wish her safe at home’. Part Two completely gripped me and Part One was fine if you are in the mood for slowish development and old-fashioned, erudite dialogue. The short Part Three disappointed me, swerving into concerns that didn’t interest, convince or move me; for me the book would have been better stopping at the brilliant end of Part Two.
April 27, 2013
A intelligently written novel that takes the reader from a superficial, vain and selfish character at the start to a completely different person at the end. It's entirely convincing in it's detail and sense of period (1950's London)and even instructive in it's ethics.
October 21, 2012
Recommended to me by a fellow colleague, at work, great writing and wonderful story of two homosexuals...haunting...
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews