The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

From Wikipedia...


James Barlow was a British novelist, born on 1 December 1921 in Birmingham, England. The author of thirteen novels and one work of non-fiction, he was married with 4 children when he died suddenly at the age of 51 in Ireland on 30 January 1973. He is buried near Cork.



Thanks to Greg for highlighting him and his work....

Greg wrote: "James Barlow

I recently found a 1961 Penguin edition of Term of Trial by an author new to me, James Barlow. Born 1921.



Term of Trial was adapted to film starring Sir Laurence Olivier, Simone Signoret, and introducing Sarah Miles. This must be her first film. The film of the same name as the book.

The story is set late 50s or 1960 in a 'slum school'. The main character is a timid middle-aged teacher, Graham Weir. His mind is rotted by self-disgust and the discontent of his acidic wife. The public house beckons to him. I don't know if this is set in London.

I started reading the first few chapters, and keen to read it without distraction of reading anything else. Very impressed with the writing. "

His first novel, The Protagonists, drawing on his experiences in Wales and his time recovering from TB in a sanatorium, was published in 1956. Although receiving some critical acclaim with this and his next two books, he did not achieve real success until 1960, with the publication of The Patriots, a story of war veterans struggling to adjust to civilian life and drifting into a life of crime.

In 1969 Barlow moved with his family to Tasmania in Australia but returned a few years later and settled in Ireland. He died suddenly on 30 January 1973 in Cork.

The Protagonists - 1956
One Half of the World - 1957
The Man with Good Intentions - 1958
The Patriots - 1960
Term of Trial - 1961
The Hour of Maximum Danger - 1962
This Side of the Sky - 1964
One Man in the World - 1966
The Burden of Proof - 1968
Goodbye England - 1969
Liner - 1970
Both Your Houses - 1971
In All Good Faith - 1971
Villain - 1971

Amazon UK page...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/James-Barlow/...

Man, you're amazing! That was fast. Thank you so much. I look forward to discussions on this writer. On the lookout now for anything by James Barlow.

James Barlow's Term of Trial

I think Term of Trial is a masterpiece of modern literature. Set in the early 1960s in an industrial midlands town. An incredible portrait of human nature, which illustrates the class division, social and moral hypocrisy and ignorant presumption.
James Barlow is every bit the equal of Patrick Hamilton in creating loathsome characters. Here are the full spectrum, good and bad, both teachers and students.

Careful not to give any spoilers, the novel is in four parts.
Part one, SCHOOL
Part two, ABROAD
Part three, TRIAL
Part four, VERDICT

There are some wonderful characters, like school teacher Paul Melkis, what a gem, a cripple from the war, he is ten times the man than the repellant Mr. Ferguson. Paul Melkis encourages the besieged Wier, 'The art of courage' he said, 'is not overcoming fear - I doubt if more than a few do that - but of ignoring its presence'. Paul Melkis goes on to say of Ferguson, "He'd sell his soul to be elected chairman or president of whatever was going. He presumes his own purpose in the world is of such extreme importance that you can be jettisoned. I don't know how he can look in the mirror". "Nobody loves you in the staffroom", Melkis told Graham Wier in acid glee. "They're crawling like maggots before Mr. Ferguson". "They're human beings, man, human beings, the lowest form of animal life!" Mr. Ferguson is by no means the worst of the characters in this story. Some of the school bullying is disturbing and harrowing.

This industrial midlands town community in the early 1960s, a community of low ambition and life expectation who survive on 'slum cunning' have yet to look forward to Thatcher's Britain.

There is a powerful courtroom scene during the trial of Graham Wier, a timid man, a self confessed coward, who digs deep and finds a long smouldering inner rage and lets them have it! The novel was adapted to the the screen, starring Sir Lawrence Olivier. I have to see the film, just to see this courtroom performance.