Francis Plug: Writer in Residence

Francis Plug #2

by Paul Ewen

FRANCIS PLUG is back. The loveable misfit is now adjusting to life as a newly published author. Interviews and publicity are coming his way, not to mention considerable acclaim. But Francis can't understand why people think he was writing fiction... He also has plenty of other problems - and very little money.

Fortunately, he's handed a lifeline when he lands a job as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Greenwich. Unfortunately, this involves interacting with more new people, which isn't exactly Francis's strong suit. Try as he might, the staff and students at the university seem to have great difficulty knowing what to make of Francis. (Not to mention the trouble that he has making sense of himself). Oh - and now he also needs to hook in some big-name authors for the Greenwich Book Festival, and has to write his own campus novel.

The urgent questions build and build - and Francis is in no state to answer them. Will he keep his job? Will he be able to secretly sleep inside a university office? Will anyone find out that he did a wee in the corridor? Find out as Francis embarks on a new adventure, more intoxicating and hilarious than ever.

Genres: Fiction

410 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2018

About the author

Paul Ewen is a New Zealand writer based in south London. In NZ his work has been published in Landfall and Sport, and in the UK his stories have appeared in the British Council’s New Writing anthology (edited by Ali Smith and Toby Litt), and also in the Times Higher Education Supplement and Tank magazine. He has written for Dazed & Confused, and is a regular contributor to Hamish Hamilton’s online magazine Five Dials.

His first book, London Pub Reviews, was called ‘a cross between Blade Runner and Coronation Street’ (Waterstones) and ‘a work of comic genius’ (Dan Rhodes).

Francis Plug—long-time companion of Paul’s, if only in a parallel universe—is a key figure in the British literary scene, regularly found in the company of today’s highest profile authors. Based in Tufnell Park, London, he also works as a residential gardener (with very competitive rates). According to Francis, How to Be a Public Author, his first book, was written with the assistance of his amanuensis, Paul Ewen.

Reviews

[Hugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the kind of book I would normally read, but I received it as part of my Galley Beggar subscription.

At times, it is quite a sharp and perceptive satire of the literary and academic worlds, and Ewen has clearly read very widely and knows the work of the writers he discusses, but at others it descends too far into slapstick farce, and at 400 pages it outstays its welcome (though for a 400-page book it is a very quick read, and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments).

This book is a sequel to Francis Plug: How To Be A Public Author (which I have not read, but I suspect that does not matter much).

It follows the struggling alcoholic writer as he wangles a post as Writer in Residence at Greenwich University. He proceeds to take the residence part seriously, finding a hiding place on campus to sleep, and attends numerous literary events (most of the writers are loosely connected by having written campus novels, and Ewen appears to have got the writers to sign copies of their works addressed to Francis Plug - these title pages are included at the start of each chapter), where he fruitlessly attempts to recruit the writers to a festival at his university, and indulges in many drunken adventures, often with disastrous consequences.

There is also plenty of observation about the architecture and history of Greenwich itself. Several of the key characters are real people, notably his publishers Sam and Elly and his supervisor Dr Alex Pheby (another Galley Beggar author), but their portraits are clearly caricatures.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Galley Beggar Press is a small Norfolk based publisher responsible which aims to “produce and support beautiful books and a vibrant, eclectic, risk-taking range of literature” and which declares an aim to publish books that are “hardcore literary fiction and gorgeous prose’.

This description has been taken as the criteria for the Republic Of Consciousness prize for small presses (http://www.republicofconsciousness.co...) for which fittingly it was shortlisted in 2017 (with Forbidden Line) and 2018 with We That Are Young (which went on to the win the Desmond Eliot prize later this year).

Its most striking success though to date has been in being prepared to publish “A Girl is a Half Formed Thing” which had taken 9 years to find a publisher and of course went on to win the Bailey’s and Goldsmith Prize.

It has also published one of my books of 2018 – the wonderful “Lucia” which surely would have made at least the Goldsmith shortlist if the author, Alex Pheby, had not been a Goldsmith alumni and so ineligible.

Alex and Eloise/Sam the co-founders of Galley Beggar are protagonists in this story – the second Francis Plug adventure – following on from “Francis Plug: How to Be a Public Author”. In this story Plug has, with the help of Sam and Elly, and to his as well as our amazement, landed a job as Writer in Residence at the University of Greenwich under Alex Pheby. The book chronicles his time in the role and his attempts to research campus novels (meeting various authors at book readings, prize and signing events, so following a similar structure to the Booker-winner themed first story).

Along the way the book nicely skewers elements of the literary world – events, readings and signings but also creative writing courses and literary festivals.

My favourite line was:

Before sitting down, Don DeLillo passes his reading glasses to a woman in the front row, who is of similar age. Perhaps it’s his wife. Or maybe that was the author equivalent of throwing your underwear into the crowd.

The book also manages to nicely summarise some well known books and their authors – for example I thought this was a great description of Rachel Cusk’s Outline:

“A writer who doesn’t seem to write, or talk, and her creative writing students who don’t write but talk”

At the same time, and amid the usual Plug-style disasters and faux-pas, there are a number of serious observations on the publishing industry.
In perhaps one of the most sobering moments of the book (not that anything serves to sober up Plug) Alex Pheby comments on the way in which mainstream publishers try to encourage the creative writing students to write in whatever is the genre-of-the-moment (which I guess would currently be up-lit).
And related to this – Plug himself comments on the increasingly crucial role played by small presses in delivering innovation, despite their precarious financial position – something which was behind the founding of the Republic of Consciousness Prize.

Eventually a small publisher took a punt. Small, as in two people. Although a newish venture, Elly and Sam had already garnered acclaim by publishing certain top-notch books that the large established publishers had chosen to disregard. Perversely, the huge, corporate publishers with the deepest pockets tend to be the tightest and most risk-averse, while for small publishers like mine, each book is literally sink or swim. Still, at least the small folk retain their integrity. Despite suffering sleepless nights fraught with financial worries, at least they can sleep well at night.

Later there are observations on the impact of the financial crisis on UK literacy (which also brings in the way in which the mainstream prizes spend their sponsorship money on elaborate events for the corporate world and literary establishment.)

The UK’s economy suffered a battering after the 2008 financial crisis created by the banks. Now, many years later, it would be really helpful if they, and other responsible financial institutions, could act to stop libraries closing. Instead they’re investing their money in literary events at the Hay Festival, and sponsoring the Booker prize and its slap up Guildhall dinner ….. Rather than promoting and safeguarding tomorrow’s readers, writers and thinkers the financial industry is merely adding their logos to corporate events, rubbing shoulders with the literary establishment and their own kind.

What is perhaps not noted here – but related, is firstly that it is the economic crisis which is largely responsible for the risk-averse attitude of large publishing houses, and secondly that the mainstream literary prizes are biased against the smaller presses due to their entry rules and requirement for payment if listed (again something the Republic of Consciousness Prize was set up to counter).

Overall I found this an enjoyable and interesting read.

[Neil · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is Francis Plug’s second outing. It is safe to say that he and I did not gel during his first outing (Francis Plug: How to be a Public Author). The truth is that I only read this second book because I received it as part of my Galley Beggar subscription. Left to my own devices, I would have skipped it.

So, it came as some surprise to discover part way through that I was actually liking it a lot more than the first book. There came a point where I had to put the book down for a while and pause to think about why that should be. On the face of it, it is still a book about a struggling author who drinks too much and consequently lands himself in awkward, embarrassing, situations again and again. There is still way more vomit, wee and poo than I like to see in a book, especially when it is used for “comic” effect. What has changed? I think it is simply that instead of being a book about drunkenness with a little bit of story in the background, it is more a book with a story that includes some drunkenness. That subtle reversal meant there was something there for me to engage with and that made all the difference.

The story mirrors what happened to real-life author Paul Ewen. Plug’s first novel is published, he is invited to appear on the BBC Front Row programme and he is, unexpectedly in Plug’s case, appointed as Writer In Residence at the University of Greenwich. His “boss” is Dr Alex Pheby, author of the wonderful Lucia which is one of my favourite books of 2018. He talks to his publishers Elly and Sam who are real people (at least, I met someone who told me she was Elly). At one point, he gives a reading at Shakespeare & Co. in Paris. All this happened to both Ewen and Plug. I suspect Ewen’s version of the story contains less alcohol, less social embarrassment and less failure. It must contain less alcohol as the quantities Plug consumes would kill a real person.

Plug takes his appointment as Writer In Residence a bit more literally than the university intends and moves in to a spare room in campus buildings (in preference to the leaky garage in which he has been staying). The chaos that ensues is, as before, alcohol fuelled and, to me, not actually very funny (probably because it is alcohol fuelled which is something I never find amusing). But this time an actual story develops.

Plug decides that he will write a campus novel and sets about reading a long list of successful campus novels. Along the way, he manages to meet many of the authors and collect the signed bookplates that are part of both books. Plug’s campus novel, though, will not be like all the others:

Rather than recounting yet another lecturer-student relationship, I should look to broaden the field, to encapsulate nuclear explosions and major disasters.

While working on this he is also involved (well, “involved” might be putting it a bit strongly) in setting up the university’s first literary festival. And the book does contain several passages that give serious thoughts about that state of literature in the UK. He comments on the funding that is poured into lavish dinners for awards like the Booker Prize instead of supporting actual writing, and he notes that the library system is in a poor state:

Although priding itself on its bigwig authors, Britain is currently wiping out grassroots access to books and knowledge.

So, there is a story and there are some serious thoughts. But to get at either of these, you still have to wade through page after page of drunken embarrassment. Many people do find that funny and they will love this book (see positive reviews in The Guardian and The Spectator as well as here on Goodreads). But, speaking just for myself, I don’t find it funny.

One other thing that disappointed me is that I was convinced Plug’s ever-changing brand of cigarette, carefully noted again and again, was going to become a punch line at some point and it never did. That’s not Ewen’s fault, though, just my own weird brain at work.

In summary, I found this a much better experience that the first volume, but still not really to my taste. Unfortunately, I can't up my rating to 3 stars because Goodreads says that means "I liked it" and the 2 stars "It was OK" is closer to my feelings.

I would, however, like to whole-heartedly align myself with a statement in the acknowledgments at the end of the book:

A bloody massive thanks to Elly and Sam, my brilliant and brave publishers at Galley Beggar Press. Please continue to give them your support.”

I will.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's interesting how some people find something funny, while others won't find it funny at all. My last book is a good case in point.

Paul Ewen's creation, Francis Plug, the Dennis Pennis of the literary world is back.

Mirroring Paul Ewen's own publication of his first novel,
Francis Plug: How To Be A Public Author , his subsequent appearance on BBC Front Row (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04m...) and his appointment as writer in residence at the University of Greenwich (http://www.newzealandtimes.co.uk/fran...), the fictional Plug follows the same path, albeit with far more alcohol and chaos, and even more alcohol.

In place of the survey of all the 'rude' bits of Booker novels from the first volume, this second offers an impressive and comprehensive survey of the campus novel, although the interactions with authors at public readings are a little more limited.

The action instead focuses more on Plug's time at the University, where he takes his 'in residence' part rather literally by, unbeknownst to the University authorities, moving out of the garage where he previously lived and in to a spare office, and generally causes - yes - alcohol-fuelled chaos to the despair of the Director of the Creative Writing programme, the real-life fellow Galley Beggar author Dr Alex Pheby (whose Lucia is one of my books of 2018).

Between repeated tales of drunken exploits and one-sided conversations with bemused interlocutors, the novel does have some serious points to make about the commercialisation of literature, even of creative writing courses, including the fact that most sponsorship pours into funding lavish dinners for events such as the Booker Prize ceremony, while around the country libraries close. And how at book festivals, the authors are much easier to please and less trouble than their publicists.

And there are some great descriptions of Greenwich and the University, and indeed (my favourite part of the novel) of the world's most famous, and in my experience best, bookshop Shakespeare and Co in Paris, where Ewen (in real-life) and Plug (fictionally) each give a reading, as well as enjoying the intended 'in residence' experience that Shakespeare & Co uniquely offers to writers.

But ultimately the success or otherwise of the novel depends if one appreciates the humour, particularly as the same Plug-drinks-too-much-and-disgraces-himself scene is repeated many times over what is a 400+ page novel.

This Q&A from the Bookblast website (https://bookblast.com/blog/interview-...) gives a good idea of what to expect:

Q: Who were early formative influences as a writer?
A: Spike Milligan’s story Badjelly the Witch was a big early influence. It was very funny, and also a bit naughty because Badjelly would say “Knickers, knickers, stinky-poo, stinky-poo!” And she’d try to poke God’s eyes out.

And as the opening quote suggests Plug Volume 1 split opinion, this novel even quoting some of the less favourable reviews, although thankfully not my own (see https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...?). Because unfortunately I was in the 'won't find it funny at all' camp with the first book and the second raised the sum total of one laugh and a small smile.

But for those who love Plug/Ewen's humour, there will be a lot to like. And plenty do - I would point people to the favourable reviews in:

The Guardian "Another hilarious satire of the precarious writing life":
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...

The Spectator "Francis Plug is the saviour of comic fiction"
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/09/p...

The excellent Follow the Hens Blog from my fellow 2018 Republic of Consciousness judge Jackie Law: "Francis Plug may be a socially inept alcoholic, one you may hope never to encounter beyond the page, but his salient thoughts, poignant musings and indecorous behaviour deliver a comedic triumph."
https://neverimitate.wordpress.com/20...

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francis Plug: Writer in Residence, by Paul Ewen, is the follow up to the author’s remarkable debut. How To Be A Public Author introduced the unsuspecting world to the inimitable Francis Plug during the period when he was conducting booze fuelled research for his Booker Prize winning novel. In a travesty of justice that first book was not awarded the prize. It did, however, lead to Francis Plug (and in real life, Paul Ewen) being offered the post of Writer in Residence at Greenwich University.

Francis takes the job title literally and moves into an empty office on campus with his camp bed. The Christopher Wren designed surroundings prove more comfortable than the rat infested garage in West Hampstead where he had previously laid his inebriated head. It also saves on travel costs, an important consideration since he lost his gardening equipment and thereby any means to earn an alternative living.

Francis’s immediate superior in the Creative Writing Department that now employs him is Dr Alex Pheby. Dr Alex is organising The Greenwich Book Festival and asks Francis if he could use his connections to persuade other authors to participate. Francis regularly meets the big hitters of the literary world, usually at their events where he enjoys the free drinks. He sets about fulfilling his appointed task with gusto. Despite many drinks being consumed the authors do not appear amenable to Francis’s mostly incoherent invitations.

As Writer in Residence, Francis is expected to write his next book while in residence. The office environment suits him best when it is empty of colleagues – when, for example, he may race up and down the corridor on his office chair. For actual writing he works best in a pub, preferably one in a backstreet location not frequented by students or charging tourist prices. He locates several local establishments that suit his needs before being barred due to drunken infractions that upset other regulars.

Francis intends to write a campus novel (which will include the blowing up of a neighbouring power station) so sets about reading other author’s previously published works on this theme and attending their events. As a published author he must also appear before the public, the prospect of which requires a great deal of lubrication. He travels to Paris for an event at Shakespeare and Company, staying in their writers’ accommodation. He participates in the book festival despite complaints about his behaviour.

Francis may have written a helpful book on how to be a public author but performing in public is not an activity he is comfortable with. Neither is teaching students, although he makes an impression. Even when schmoozing with the literati at exclusive events his publishers, Sam and Elly, grant him access to he struggles to make appropriate conversation. When he is recognised it is not for lauded authorial achievements.

This book is best read in chunks rather than in a sitting to fully appreciate the wit and wisdom. The antics, conversations and observations are laugh out loud funny while also being percipient. The inclusion of real people and events, some of whom I have met, adds to the entertainment. I hope that those name checked are happy with their depictions.

If you read books, attend author events, have any interest in the literary world, then this novel is for you and comes highly recommended. Francis Plug may be a socially inept alcoholic, one you may hope never to encounter beyond the page, but his salient thoughts, poignant musings and indecorous behaviour deliver a comedic triumph.

[Deborah Siddoway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rather silly book, but I rather think that anyone who reads it will not be surprised by this statement or feel that it is unfair. When I started it, I did not appreciate that this was the second outing for Francis Plug, the titular writer in residence at the very heart of the novel (or loosely threaded together narrative of inebriated desperation to try and be the writer in residence that some one in authority bestowed on the hapless, homeless author). However, despite my ignorance of Francis Plug's first set of adventures, and the overall silliness of the book, I found myself laughing. Quite a lot, actually, even when travelling around London on one of the many "whales" as Francis kept trying to call them. Not what I was expecting from a Galley Beggar book when I first picked up this novel, but I liked it even when I kept thinking I wouldn't. So all in all, the question I ask is will I remember this book in a year's time? The answer is a resounding yes. Francis Plug, Writer in Residence, you have my slightly bewildered admiration.

[Yuri Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What to say? What to say?!
He’s done it again. He’s recycled How to be a Public Author in order to address the subject of Writer-in-Residence. The format, tone, style are identical. It’s the same nonsense with sharp edges catching you at odd angles.
And it works! Although without the novelty of first exposure, and at a third longer (100 pp) than the previous vol., there are times when it feels like a bit of a trudge. All the same, anyone encountering Francis Plug for the first time here will probably experience the same frisson as those of us first waylaid by him in Public Author.
I wonder how far Ewen can go with this routine and altered ego. He makes a show of being on top of his subject, the campus novel – although any attempt at extended disquisition would simply destroy the novel’s lurching momentum. It’s not so easy to play the fool in a sustained way, but Ewen gives a good run for your money.

[Pony Louder · Rating 5 out of 5]

We first met Francis Plug back in #HowToBeAPublicAuthor when he was a skint would-be writer living in a chilly garage with no lock and attending talks by Booker prize-winners. Now, against sizable odds, he’s back… as a published author.

Unfortunately, having a book out has had no discernible effect on his finances. Even though he’s doing radio interviews at the BBC and writer’s talks in Paris, he’s still scraping together small change to survive.

Luckily his publishers have thrown him a lifeline and blagged him a gig as writer in residence at Greenwich University. With winter coming and no cash for heating, Francis decides to take the job title literally and move into one of the empty offices to sleep in at night.

Dr Alex Pheby, Plug’s on-campus boss, is startled to see Plug arrive for induction bearing all his worldly goods…

“Dismissing the items with a wave, I seek to allay his suspicion.
FP: These old things? No! they’re just a few office trinkets for my desk.
Dr Alex: A foldout bed?”

And so begins this poignantly hilarious satire on the precarious writing life.

Unreliable, outrageous, extremely likeable: Plug is the kind of character you never forget. His encounters with people and general observations on life are snort-out-loud funny. More often than not, they’re also bang on the money. He’s a heart-cracking mess, but impeccably informed and always sympathetic. #WouldRecommend

[James Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book although to begin with I was daunted by the 400+ pages but in the end it turned out to be a quick read. I thought that perhaps the comedy of it might get tired after a while but it didn't it kept me giggling until the end. I hadn't read (or even heard of) the first book and only came across it this by supporting Galley Beggar Press but in the main it was worth it.

I get the feeling that Paul Ewen has used a thesis on the 'Campus Novel' (which he has obviously researched) and used it as a framework for the inane and oftentimes hilarious goings on of poor Francis Plug, writer in residence at Greenwich Uni. I say poor, not just because he actually is homeless and broke but, because his alcohol fuelled rantings and exploits get him into some quite ridiculous predicaments. I particularly liked the conversations with the real writers he meets and can imagine their befuddled faces as they chat with Francis. The book is littered with sharp observations both of the writing world and the physical world around him in Greenwich.

This isn't a book for those who like intricate plot but it is a laugh.

[Chris Mctrustry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful how NOT to succeed in the literary world adventure. I thoroughly enjoyed the latest of Francis Plug's sorties into the worlds of his fellow authors and, now, academics. Drinking, reading, writing (of sorts), drinking, Greenwich history, walks along the Thames, drinking, ghosts weeing. This book has it all! I hope Francis's campus novel is completed and sees the light of (publishing) day.

[Steve Sheppard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this book. I certainly learnt a lot about campus novels and Greenwich. But unfortunately I just didn't find the character of Francis Plug particularly funny. I am not really a fan of excruciating comedy. Still, I can understand why others would find him hilarious. (I also have to be honest and say I have not read the earlier book)

[Elizabeth Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny book, although one of those characters that sometimes makes you cringe so much it is painful. I especially liked the signed bookplates made out to the fictional Francis Plug, and there are now many more campus novels on my to-read list, though I am sure none will be as funny as this one.

[Billy Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second funniest book I’ve ever read, with the first being “Francis Plug: How to be a Public Author” Paul Mcewan continues where he left off in the first book and makes you wonder why you bothered reading all those other supposedly funny books before, like Pride & Prejudice.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny

[Felicity · Rating 4 out of 5]

While fearing that the Writer in Residence might exhaust my patience with the wilfully eccentric Francis Plug, I couldn't resist the happy return of the now published author. He's no less wired and wasted than before, but this firsthand account of his deranged behaviour is interspersed with some remarkably sane and rational criticism of the UK government's withdrawal of support for public libraries, accusing them, the major financial institutions supporting them, and large corporate publishers of 'investing their money in literary tents at the Hay Festival, and sponsoring the Booker Prize and its slap-up Guildhall dinner' rather than ensuring the continued existence of branch libraries in unliterary and unlovely locations. There is no better plug for 'safeguarding tomorrow's readers, writers and thinkers', and for independent publishers such as the one that inflicted this manic writer on the common reader. Clearly, there's method in Plug's madness. Long may his misrule continue!