The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

Thanks to Mark who alerted me to Nigel Balchin who is apparently rated by both Cathi Unsworth & Paul Willetts.

I only know what's on this website...

http://www.nigelmarlinbalchin.co.uk

....Trained originally as an industrial psychologist, in which capacity he helped Rowntree’s to successfully launch Black Magic chocolates in 1933, Nigel Balchin first received critical acclaim as a novelist during the Second World War when he wrote Darkness Falls from the Air. It was the first of three evocative novels (including the smash-hit The Small Back Room) that made good use of his wartime employment experiences at the Ministry of Food and later in the army. This trio was followed by a stream of other fine novels, such as A Sort Of Traitors, Sundry Creditors and The Fall Of The Sparrow. Balchin diversified into film scriptwriting after the war, winning a BAFTA for his work on The Man Who Never Was and penning what he whimsically described as “the first folio edition of Cleopatra”, being his original (unused) script for the Richard Burton/Elizabeth Taylor epic. When Balchin died in 1970, at the age of 61, the Guardian anointed him “the novelist of men at work”, a fitting epithet for one of the best fiction writers of the twentieth century.

I look forward to finding out more about him and his work.

There's a biography too...



His Own Executioner: The Life of Nigel Balchin by Derek Collett

‘First-rate biography’ – David Collard, The Literary Review
‘Collett paints a convincing picture’ – D.J. Taylor, The Times Literary Supplement
‘A riveting and revealing biography’ – Cathi Unsworth, ‘First Lady of noir writing’ and author of Without the Moon
‘Fascinating’ – Paul Willetts, author of Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms

Dipping a toe into the works of Nigel Balchin is now something of a New Year's resolution for me. And with copies of the biography being sold quite inexpensively, direct from the author, for a limited time only, I'll probably make that my first purchase.

Me too Mark. My library service has a couple of the novels, so I'll try one or both of them first. If that goes well I'll give the biography a go too.

Twice recently I've been in second hand bookshops and almost plumped for Nigel Balchin books but he's been trumped by other books in the end. Darkness Falls From the Air and The Fall of the Sparrow. He definitely seems like a writer up my alley so keep me informed!

Will definitely do, and here's hoping he ends up worth shouting about. Good timing, too, because the well's nearly run dry on my current obsession, Keith Waterhouse. New year, new addiction?

I'm underway with 'The Small Back Room' by Nigel Balchin and published in 1943. His novels enjoyed great popular success for a time. 'Darkness Falls from the Air’, which I also intend to read, is set during the London Blitz and was written while the bombing was still in progress.

'The Small Back Room' became a Powell and Pressburger film.


A true modern classic, THE SMALL BACK ROOM is a towering novel of the Second World War

Sammy Rice is a weapons scientist, one of the 'back room boys' of the Second World War. A crippling disability has left him cynical and disillusioned - he struggles with a drink problem at home, and politics and petty pride at work. Worse still, he fears he is not good enough for the woman he loves.

The stakes are raised when the enemy begin to drop a new type of booby-trapped bomb, causing many casualties. Only Sammy has the know-how to diffuse it - but as he comes face to face with real danger, all his old inadequacies return to haunt him.

Can he, at last, prove his worth and put his demons to rest?

The first 20 pages or so are all dialogue-driven and focus on the minutiae of the public sector workplace. It all rings very true - the office politics, the bureaucracy, the incompatible personalities, the sarcasm, the insecurities etc. The dialogue is very much of its time and it very effectively evokes the repressed formality and tensions of the era. A promising start…

One of the hopes of British novel-writing . . . A writer of genius (John Betjeman)

The missing writer of the Forties . . . Balchin's professional skill gives a meaning to brilliance which the word doesn't usually possess (Clive James NEW REVIEW)

[An] inexplicably neglected author (THE TIMES)

Balchin writes about timeless things, the places in the heart (Ruth Rendell SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)

A little masterpiece like Nigel Balchin's The Small Back Room speaks to our own time, but with so much literary experience behind it (Shirley Hazzard)

Balchin has been absurdly overlooked for too long (Julian Fellowes)

I'd place him up there with Graham Greene (Philippa Gregory)

A remarkable storyteller (DAILY MAIL)

A brilliant novelist . . . A writer of real skill (NEW STATESMAN)

He tells a story gloriously (DAILY TELEGRAPH)

Balchin has the rare magnetic power that draws the human eye from one sentence to the next (EVENING STANDARD)

Probably no other novelist of Mr. Balchin's value is so eminently and enjoyably readable . . . [He] never lets the reader down (Elizabeth Bowen TATLER)

Balchin has done so much to raise the standard of the popular novel (TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT)

A superb storyteller (SUNDAY TIMES)

Balchin can tell an exciting story as well as any novelist alive (SUNDAY CHRONICLE)

The novelist of men at work (GUARDIAN)

He can always be relied on to give us the set-up magnificently (BBC)

One of the best writers, and certainly one of the best stylists, to come out of the war years (Michael Powell)

Perhaps the most successful British author to emerge during the war (SATURDAY EVENING POST)

The Nigel Balchin Website…

http://www.nigelmarlinbalchin.com

The Nigel Balchin Wikipedia page….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_B...

Ive not read it but if Powell and Pressburger thought it worthy of filming then it's got to be good!

I'm now halfway through 'The Small Back Room'. I was a little underwhelmed at first but it is getting ever more compelling...

Sammy Rice, a backroom weapons scientist during WW2 works for a research group that evaluates new weapons. The first 20 pages or so are all dialogue-driven & focus on the minutiae of the public sector workplace. It all rings very true: the office politics, the bureaucracy, the incompatible personalities, the sarcasm, the insecurities etc. It effectively evokes the repressed formality and tensions of the era.

Internal politics are stunningly evoked. The opaque Pinker's main contribution to the war effort seems to be to get under-performers fired. Nigel Balchin has a credible understanding of how organisations work, and how decisions are made. It rings very true & leaves me wondering how Britain ever finished up on the winning side during WW2.

Sammy Rice is brilliantly drawn, a highly capable and intelligent recovering alcoholic with low self-esteem, forever stymied by petty bureaucracy and internal politics. However, he landed on his feet the day he got involved with his colleague, and boss’s secretary, Susan, on whom he is reluctantly dependent but feels he is unworthy of her affection.

I can't wait to discover how this plays out.

Thanks to Mark for mentioning Nigel Balchin to me, I'm wondering how the heck he's passed under my radar for so long because one things for sure, he's a very good writer.

Thanks hugely for being the human litmus test, and for the encouraging field report. How does his writing style stack up? Are you able to make any cheap comparisons yet?

Cheap comparisons? Graham Greene seems closest in terms of style.

It's incredibly British. Chaps with pipes calling each other "Old boy" etc. I'll admit I like that mannered world of educated types talking in clipped tones but never able to articulate their real feelings, except perhaps in seemingly unexpected outbursts of anger.

I'm guessing that film-wise "The Imitation Game" (the one about Alan Turing with Benedict Cumberbatch) might make a good cinematic companion piece, but as I haven't actually seen it I can't say for sure.

Fair enough... Graham Greene is as good a reference point as any. Much better, in fact, than most. Fortunately, quite a few Balchin titles are readily available stateside, so I should be able to pick up a few titles on the cheap.

I’ve just finished 'The Small Back Room' by Nigel Balchin and published in 1943.

Thanks again to Mark for bringing this writer to my attention. Another example of the wondrousness of The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society. Hurrah!

Less than 200 pages long, 'The Small Back Room’ is a realistic, memorable and ultimately tense and dramatic book which powerfully explores human frailty and workplace dynamics. I look forward to reading more novels by Nigel Balchin and if, like me, you are interested in books set in and around World War 2, then I especially recommend this.

Click here to read my review

4/5

Derek Collett sees the Balchin canon thus...


Gems:
The Small Back Room
Darkness Falls from the Air
Mine Own Executioner
A Sort Of Traitors
Sundry Creditors
The Fall Of The Sparrow

Intriguing oddities:
Lightbody on Liberty
Lord, I Was Afraid
Seen Dimly Before Dawn

Duds:
The Anatomy of Villainy
Kings of infinite space

That breaks it down very nicely, doesn't it? I'll start chipping away at the gems and hope that by the time I've finished two or three of them I'll be keen to read the biography, which looks good.

Mark wrote: "That breaks it down very nicely, doesn't it? I'll start chipping away at the gems and hope that by the time I've finished two or three of them I'll be keen to read the biography, which looks good."


Although having looked at it in more detail, it's not exhaustive. There's another title called A Way Through the Wood (also published as film tie-in Separate Lies) which does not appear at all - so presumably Derek thinks it's average?

Mark wrote: "I'll start chipping away at the gems and hope that by the time I've finished two or three of them I'll be keen to read the biography, which looks good."

Me too. I'll be very interested to discover what you think Mark. The acute Englishness might not be to your taste despite your legendary love for so much that is quintessentially British. I await your reaction with interest.

The good news is that most of his books seem to be available pretty cheap so presumably he's not seen as collectible.

And yep, I am pretty sure I'll be reading the biography in due course.

I’ve just finished my second book by Nigel Balchin. 'Darkness Falls from the Air' was first published in 1942 and is set in London during the Blitz. It’s well written and is particularly good at describing life during the Blitz. Less than 200 pages long, 'Darkness Falls from the Air’ is a downbeat and tragic tale, but it is also realistic and memorable. If you are interested in books set in and around World War 2 then this is essential….

Click here to read my review

4/5

I think I'll start with this one... thanks for the pointers!

A truly great episode from those lovely people at Backlisted in which they discuss 'Darkness Falls from the Air' by Nigel Balchin.....

Journalist, broadcaster and former editrice of The Erotic Review Rowan Pelling joins John, Andy and Mathew on the show to explain her love of Nigel Balchin's novel of the London Blitz, Darkness Falls From The Air.

https://soundcloud.com/backlistedpod/...

or

http://podbay.fm/show/1063252175/e/14...

or iTunes

Thank's to this little thread I took the plunge with Darkness Falls from the Air. Balchin had been on my radar for a while but I'd never had much reason to take the plunge, always plenty of books from writers you already know. Trusting to the redoubtable minds here I took that plunge and I can't tell you how glad I am.

CQM wrote: "...I can't tell you how glad I am"


Hurrah!

I'm so pleased. I thought Nigel B might chime with your sensibilities. It would make a wonderful book group choice as there's so many discussion points.

And how about those descriptions of life during the Blitz? Essential London reading.

Yes the descriptions of the blitz are tremendous, especially when you consider they were written virtually in the moment. I love the almost matter of fact reactions to them but also the sheer terror and heat you can almost feel near the end... Brilliant.

Just when I thought that I was finally too old to be affected by peer pressure, I ordered my copy today. Thanks, gents.

I finished Darkness Falls From The Air last week, and immediately marked it as one to eventually read again, though only after working my way through many -- the rest? -- of Balchin's works. In short, I thought it was fucking brilliant, and just about as evocative as one could hope for.

I loved the pacing and the arc -- a slow build, then a mighty walloping. I also loved the bits concerning his duties at the Ministry. To my mind -- and mine is quite a feeble one -- Balchin's vagueness with regard to specific duties was a masterful illustration of the typical triumph of frustration over function within the workplace... ie: Never mind the deadlines or requirements, here's the office political bullshit.

The Small Back Room is next on my journey through Balchin.

So pleased to discover that Balchin hit the spot for you Mark

Mark wrote: "...only after working my way through many -- the rest? -- of Balchin's works...."

I can certainly vouch for you next port of call, The Small Back Room, and would be very curious about some of the other books in his bibliography.

I mention this above but, here it is again, Derek Collett sees the Balchin canon thus...

Gems:
The Small Back Room
Darkness Falls from the Air
Mine Own Executioner
A Sort Of Traitors
Sundry Creditors
The Fall Of The Sparrow

Intriguing oddities:
Lightbody on Liberty
Lord, I Was Afraid
Seen Dimly Before Dawn

Duds:
The Anatomy of Villainy
Kings of infinite space

Now I'm worried, I've got AWay Through the Wood lined up for when I finish the book I'm currently reading. Not listed under any heading!

CQM wrote: "Now I'm worried, I've got 'A Way Through the Wood' lined up for when I finish the book I'm currently reading. Not listed under any heading!"

Curious. I'd be happy about that CQM. Please let us know what category you would place it in once you have finished.

My own research suggests, and by way of a spoiler free set up....

'A Way Through the Wood' – also known as Separate Lies. A Way Through the Wood is a psychologically complex, Graham Greenesque tale that explores the moral tug-of-war that takes place between three characters. There’s a film version of Separate Lies, featuring Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson and Rupert Everett, and while it’s an excellent film, it’s quite different from the book. 'Mine Own Executioner' and 'A Way Through the Wood' are a fascinating study in contrasts; the former book with its almost claustrophobic intensity begins as the marital and professional trials and tribulations of a London therapist but ends up as a thriller. While 'A Way Through the Wood' may ostensibly be about a crime, the novel ultimately focuses on the moral fallout of a man’s death.

More here (though perhaps too much plot detail for you to read before embarking upon your next Balchinesque adventure)....

https://swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpres...

And this is a splendid article about our man Balchin by Derek Collett...


http://www.nigelmarlinbalchin.co.uk/w...

...and it suggests that 'A Way Through the Wood' is Balchin's response to the loss of his wife albeit in fictionalised form. Intriguing. No such thing as fiction to be sure.

Excellent research as always Nigey.

Darkness Falls From the Air is currently winning the vote on BYT's. I will keep you posted, Nigeyb. Hope you do join in, if it wins.

Thanks Susan

It did win the vote and I am currently reading it. An excellent read so far and quite Hamiltonesque!

So glad you're enjoying it so far Susan - I look forward to your thoughts when you have finished

It will be the May fiction read on BYT's if you fancy popping in next month. I am really hooked. I have downloaded the other two available on kindle and the biography - it seems lots are still out of print though.

Better still Susan.


And Yes, I will add my tenpenneth over at BYT when May rolls around.

Thanks for introducing me to another author I love, Nigeyb :)

As it's a lazy day waiting in the office for a call, I thought I'd add impressions of the other Nigel Balchin books I've read since last we met here.
We'd pretty much already agreed that Darkness Falls from the Air and The Small Back Room were masterpieces so I'll go on from there.
Fall of the Sparrow is right up there with those other two if my own review is to be believed. Believable characters with messy lives realised beautifully by Balchin.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Mine Own Executioner probably comes next and again, if my reviews are to be believed, the bottom slapping was by this point becoming almost as much of an obsession for me as it was for NB.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Next is the uncharacteristic late thriller In the Absence of Mrs Peterson. I recall this as two fine, but very different, books between one set of covers.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
A Way through the Wood was another look at marital infidelity but cloaked in a sub par tale of hit and run and dogged policemen. As always plenty to enjoy (if that is the right word) but not in the same class as his best work.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Finally A Sort of Traitors is back in classic Balchin territory, workplace intrigue and bottom slapping (although I don't remember any specific bottoms being slapped I'm sure it was inferred) but this one isn't in the same league as his classics with a little too much philosophising and not enough wit.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That's wonderful CQM, and just the prompt I need to get back to Balchin

Nigeyb wrote: "That's wonderful CQM, and just the prompt I need to get back to Balchin"

Well I don't think you can go wrong with Fall of the Sparrow.

Thanks again CQM

Many grateful thanks for that, CQM... you’re good advice will be my guide as I wend my way through more Balchin.

Just bought a copy of Sparrow for £1.84 incl p&p. Bargain price. Looks as though it’s the Pan paperback edition too. I love the old Pans.

Tho old Pans are always aesthetically pleasing I find.