🔗 Share this article Discovering the Written Universe of Paul Bailey Paul Bailey, whose life ended last autumn at 87, was celebrated for his witty genius, deep empathy extending to his deeply imperfect creations, and an intelligence that never felt cold. His fiction frequently delved into the power of memory in shaping lives, driven by clever, syncopated conversations. Apart from fiction, he also excelled as a poet, memoir writer, and additional roles—here is a guide to the books he left behind. Works That Offer Solace Paul Bailey proved an outgoing person, an excellent talker with a love for casual small talk, as one character notes. He and friend author Beryl Bainbridge would watch Coronation Street and debrief by phone. This pleasure in chatty conversations shines through in his fictional works Trespasses (1970) as well as Peter Smart’s Confessions (released in 1977). The two present a leading man besieged by comic, maddening, theatrical individuals, often close relatives whose influence is inescapable. “Why would anyone desire normality?” asks the mother of Ralph in Trespasses after he discloses his homosexuality. Comparable to hanging out with your wittiest, boldest friend. The Ones to Make You Laugh and Cry Bailey wrote superbly on old age, throughout his literary path. His debut novel At the Jerusalem (1967) details the life of Faith Gadny as she adjusts to a nursing home, in which other inhabitants offer warmth absent in employees, whose engagement by asking “Why aren’t you ladies watching the television?”. Within his second-last book the title Chapman’s Odyssey (from 2011), a senior in hospital switches between arguing with doctors (“My wine selection is exclusive”, he insists following criticism of his liver) and being flooded by memories of his mother, lovers, literary figures such as Pip from Dickens or Emma from Austen. Both books are filled with comic interactions however tinged with approaching finality. Throughout his novels, smiles are deceptive. In At the Jerusalem, “the matron smiled, shut the smile off quickly”; Faith Gadny chuckles anxiously if her actions are questioned. In that novel, Harry cautions that “my laughter is not genuine”. Readers’ smiles, however, are authentic. If You Want the Facts Behind the Fiction Besides novels, The author excelled as a gifted memoirist, publishing two autobiographies. An Immaculate Mistake (1990) stands as a masterpiece of recollection, the heading taken from his mum’s statement labeling him an “accident” and questioning his presence. (“Elderly, she disclosed hidden truths,” he notes. “This one, she knew, would be of particular interest to me.”) This book reveals the roots of misguided, loving, frustrating parents throughout his books. It also paints a moving picture of a boy discovering his sexuality in that era, during a time of anti-gay laws, and his family found it odd if a male child gifted blooms to his parent; and of a hopeful performer (The writer was on stage before writing) who memorized Hamlet at 15. His follow-up autobiography A Dog’s Life (from 2004) focuses on days with his pet Circe, his ex-partner David, his affection for Romania—which motivated later novels like Kitty and Virgil, the title Uncle Rudolf, plus The Prince’s Boy—and plenty of gossip, featuring an anecdote about Iris Murdoch labeling a listener a “foolish person”. For Those Short on Time Bailey’s novels are generally brief—the notable Old Soldiers (published in 1980) is just over 100 pages—however, for a more condensed choice, try his poetry from later years. The two books the poetry collection Inheritance (published in 2019) and Joie de Vivre (released in 2022) display his cleverness, sympathy, exactness in condensed form. These verses are rich with death and life. Two romantic motifs repeat: regarding his mum (“I feel nearer to you now—/ I must confess—/ than when you lived”) and for his partner Jeremy Trevathan. In that piece, he describes the joy of enjoying “foolish television” side by side, finishing with: “It’s awesome, in its way, this act of eating cheese / and drinking wine, as the world keeps darkening.” For a Single Must-Read It is widely accepted that the author’s most expansive book remains the novel Gabriel’s Lament, nominated for the Booker in 1986. (He also judged the prize in 1982, an experience he despised.) This was the book the author was most proud of, although “it consumed all his energy”. It follows the narrative of Gabriel Harvey, whose mother vanishes and whose father turns into a intolerable pretentious person after inheriting wealth, and the events may link. It’s a depiction of 20th-century London, a tale of emotional unraveling, and as funny and sad as anything Bailey wrote. Additionally, it prompted a subsequent book, Sugar Cane (1993), which Bailey researched by going to such places to watch.