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A search of UKC forums reveals few threads about climbing novels. Is there some inherent problem, do you think, with fiction having a climbing/mountaineering backdrop? Over the years, I’ve read many gripping non-fiction books about climbing, but can only recall three novels that were both readable and authentic: The Fall (Simon Mawer), Climbers (M John Harrison), and Mer de Glace (Alison Fell).
I’ve just bought (though not yet read) Solo Faces by James Salter. Despite it being written in 1979, I see no mention of this in previous threads here. Are there any other must-read climbing novels out there I might have missed? Do you think it’s even possible for a novel about climbing to appeal to both climbers and non-climbers?
(Just to be clear – the last thread was overwhelmed by posts recommending non-fiction books – I’m talking about full-on fiction here, not autobiographies, historical accounts, article compilations etc)
I’ve just bought (though not yet read) Solo Faces by James Salter. Despite it being written in 1979, I see no mention of this in previous threads here. Are there any other must-read climbing novels out there I might have missed? Do you think it’s even possible for a novel about climbing to appeal to both climbers and non-climbers?
(Just to be clear – the last thread was overwhelmed by posts recommending non-fiction books – I’m talking about full-on fiction here, not autobiographies, historical accounts, article compilations etc)
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Some might say that 100 Classic Climbs in N Wales is a great work of fiction
Apologies...
More seriously, I suspect it's too narrow an activity for a complete novel. How many novels do you know which focus on, say, golf or fishing (both of which are much more popular activities)? Or maybe I just don't know about them.
Some might say that 100 Classic Climbs in N Wales is a great work of fiction
Apologies...
More seriously, I suspect it's too narrow an activity for a complete novel. How many novels do you know which focus on, say, golf or fishing (both of which are much more popular activities)? Or maybe I just don't know about them.
Post edited at 14:38
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
Anne Sauvy? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Anne-Sauvy/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A26...
Anne Sauvy? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Anne-Sauvy/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A26...
In reply to John2:
I've read a couple of her novels (in the original French) & found them dull. But I really enjoyed the short stories that I've read from Dermot Somers (the collection 'Mountains and Other Ghosts' and another whose title I've forgotten). Otherwise I think 'Climbers' was the best I've read and probably Dougal Haston's novel the worst (but with strong competition, maybe I was expecting better)
I've read a couple of her novels (in the original French) & found them dull. But I really enjoyed the short stories that I've read from Dermot Somers (the collection 'Mountains and Other Ghosts' and another whose title I've forgotten). Otherwise I think 'Climbers' was the best I've read and probably Dougal Haston's novel the worst (but with strong competition, maybe I was expecting better)
In reply to Steve Ashton:
I agree Climbers by M John Harrison was excellent. So yes, it's possible!
Definite recommendation for those who haven't read it.
I agree Climbers by M John Harrison was excellent. So yes, it's possible!
Definite recommendation for those who haven't read it.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Worth a read. You may even have heard of the author
http://www.alexroddie.com/novels-by-alex-roddie
Worth a read. You may even have heard of the author
http://www.alexroddie.com/novels-by-alex-roddie
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In reply to Skyfall:
Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea '? but maybe a a short story rather than a novel. And maybe 'Moby Dick' if whaling counts as fishing.
> ... How many novels do you know which focus on, say, golf or fishing (both of which are much more popular activities)? Or maybe I just don't know about them.
Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea '? but maybe a a short story rather than a novel. And maybe 'Moby Dick' if whaling counts as fishing.
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
I'm surprised you've not read this classic of mountaineering fiction: http://amzn.to/1XxsQUK
I'm surprised you've not read this classic of mountaineering fiction: http://amzn.to/1XxsQUK
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
If you are very familiar with the subject matter, then it lacks the mystique for enjoying a novel/ story. Can't imagine surfers or whatnot taking a novel about their passion seriously.
I struggled through Climbers because I met John Harrison at Shorncliff once and he sort of guilt tripped me into it. (I admitted to owning a copy that I hadn't opened). The only time I've found climbing writing of this type to work is in the fanciful realities of people like G F Dutton and Kevin Fitzgerald.
If you are very familiar with the subject matter, then it lacks the mystique for enjoying a novel/ story. Can't imagine surfers or whatnot taking a novel about their passion seriously.
I struggled through Climbers because I met John Harrison at Shorncliff once and he sort of guilt tripped me into it. (I admitted to owning a copy that I hadn't opened). The only time I've found climbing writing of this type to work is in the fanciful realities of people like G F Dutton and Kevin Fitzgerald.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Yes and no. Novels having a climbing backdrop, fine; novels about climbing, no. To be fair in your post (edit above) you initially suggested the first but then this 'I've read many gripping non-fiction books about climbing' suggests the second.
I don't think the first is impossible, it's just that I haven't read it yet; heavens, it may not have been written yet. The difficulty is always going to be the story, the narrative thread into which climbing is woven. Got a good one? Don't share it as someone else will have away with it before you can shout 'write when ready'.
To take an example I haven't read; The Eiger Sanction (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eiger_Sanction ). I've seen the film, a rare old Clint Eastwood romp with tissue thin characters, a plot that's completely bonkers and some climbing sequences that might look good to the ignorant but which are laughable to anyone who's ever climbed attached to a rope; but I haven't read the book and the film doesn't make me want to. It might work in a sub-Alistair MacLean 1970s airport thriller way or it might be lavatory paper in a colourful cover; I shan't rush to find out. But it shows it can be done.
To write something more modern in style should be possible. Making climbing or mountaineering central to the narrative, rather than just something one or more characters do from time to time, would be taxing, but no-one ever said writing a novel was easy.
But what do I know. Never tried it myself and the best I can offer you, or any other budding author, is my very best wishes.
T.
> Is there some inherent problem, do you think, with fiction having a climbing/mountaineering backdrop? Over the years, I’ve read many gripping non-fiction books about climbing, but can only recall three novels that were both readable and authentic . . . I’m talking about full-on fiction here, not autobiographies, historical accounts, article compilations etc
Yes and no. Novels having a climbing backdrop, fine; novels about climbing, no. To be fair in your post (edit above) you initially suggested the first but then this 'I've read many gripping non-fiction books about climbing' suggests the second.
I don't think the first is impossible, it's just that I haven't read it yet; heavens, it may not have been written yet. The difficulty is always going to be the story, the narrative thread into which climbing is woven. Got a good one? Don't share it as someone else will have away with it before you can shout 'write when ready'.
To take an example I haven't read; The Eiger Sanction (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eiger_Sanction ). I've seen the film, a rare old Clint Eastwood romp with tissue thin characters, a plot that's completely bonkers and some climbing sequences that might look good to the ignorant but which are laughable to anyone who's ever climbed attached to a rope; but I haven't read the book and the film doesn't make me want to. It might work in a sub-Alistair MacLean 1970s airport thriller way or it might be lavatory paper in a colourful cover; I shan't rush to find out. But it shows it can be done.
To write something more modern in style should be possible. Making climbing or mountaineering central to the narrative, rather than just something one or more characters do from time to time, would be taxing, but no-one ever said writing a novel was easy.
But what do I know. Never tried it myself and the best I can offer you, or any other budding author, is my very best wishes.
T.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
A little dated, but a view from the USA on the topic
http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199131800/One-Step-in...
reminds me that David Roberts’ novella 'Like Water and Like Wind', although short, seems (to me) a convincing mix of climbing & story telling (but its year's since I last read it)
A little dated, but a view from the USA on the topic
http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199131800/One-Step-in...
reminds me that David Roberts’ novella 'Like Water and Like Wind', although short, seems (to me) a convincing mix of climbing & story telling (but its year's since I last read it)
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In reply to Shani:
It was late. Too late. I eyed my nemesis across the freezing wastes and hunkered down to wait. No one could see me from where I lay in wait. Waiting. Waiting for a sign.
Then it came. The faint hum that told me the central heating had come on. Soon I could make my move. Climbing from my 13.5tog duvet, and pausing only to finish the half empty glass of yak urine on the bedside table I leapt across the void. The heating may be on, but that hard floor was still agony to my tortured tootsies. Dancing across the laminate I pounced, tearing open the door and throwing myself on all the minibar had to offer.
The pre mixed gin and tonic was MINE! To the victor, the spoils. Now for the all you can eat breakfast buffet. That was going to be a hard nut to crack, particularly if I didn't take the lift.
It was late. Too late. I eyed my nemesis across the freezing wastes and hunkered down to wait. No one could see me from where I lay in wait. Waiting. Waiting for a sign.
Then it came. The faint hum that told me the central heating had come on. Soon I could make my move. Climbing from my 13.5tog duvet, and pausing only to finish the half empty glass of yak urine on the bedside table I leapt across the void. The heating may be on, but that hard floor was still agony to my tortured tootsies. Dancing across the laminate I pounced, tearing open the door and throwing myself on all the minibar had to offer.
The pre mixed gin and tonic was MINE! To the victor, the spoils. Now for the all you can eat breakfast buffet. That was going to be a hard nut to crack, particularly if I didn't take the lift.
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
"And not to yield" by James Ramsey Ullman
Try googling Showell Styles, he was pretty prolific, often writing under the Pseudonym Glynn Carr
"And not to yield" by James Ramsey Ullman
Try googling Showell Styles, he was pretty prolific, often writing under the Pseudonym Glynn Carr
In reply to Steve Ashton:
I thought Joe Simpson's second novel The Sound of Gravity worked quite well. Though, of course, no novel about climbing is ever going to be as good a read as Touching the Void. Though Touching the Void wouldn't have worked so well as fiction (assuming it's not) because it would have seemed slightly too far fetched..........
Most films about climbing baswed films are, at best, good comic value, though I thought Five Days One Summer was pretty good.
I thought Joe Simpson's second novel The Sound of Gravity worked quite well. Though, of course, no novel about climbing is ever going to be as good a read as Touching the Void. Though Touching the Void wouldn't have worked so well as fiction (assuming it's not) because it would have seemed slightly too far fetched..........
Most films about climbing baswed films are, at best, good comic value, though I thought Five Days One Summer was pretty good.
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
An awful lot of "famous" climbing non fiction isn't all that good if you just take it as a piece of writing. Often it's the empathy, or the familiarity of the location that makes it gripping. TTV is maybe an exception, but without knowing that mutual dependency and the rope that joins but also imprisons a pair of climbers, maybe it loses something of that impact.
An awful lot of "famous" climbing non fiction isn't all that good if you just take it as a piece of writing. Often it's the empathy, or the familiarity of the location that makes it gripping. TTV is maybe an exception, but without knowing that mutual dependency and the rope that joins but also imprisons a pair of climbers, maybe it loses something of that impact.
Post edited at 16:23
In reply to Skyfall:
Don't know about novels, but PG Wodehouse wrote many golf-themed short stories
> How many novels do you know which focus on, say, golf
Don't know about novels, but PG Wodehouse wrote many golf-themed short stories
In reply to Skyfall:
David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest is about tennis (in the same way that Moby Dick is about a whale, but still...) Er, Jilly Cooper's Riders is about show jumping?
I don't see climbing as particularly unsuitable material, though - a lot of books about people who do X are really about the people but seen partly through the lens of whatever it is they do, and climbing is as good a lens as any. I think the real issue is that people who can write well are fairly thin on the ground, and people who can talk knowledgeably about climbing aren't that common either, and people who can do both are very rare indeed and still might have other things that they'd rather write about.
FWIW, John Masters' Far Far the Mountain Peak might count as well.
> More seriously, I suspect it's too narrow an activity for a complete novel. How many novels do you know which focus on, say, golf or fishing (both of which are much more popular activities)? Or maybe I just don't know about them.
David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest is about tennis (in the same way that Moby Dick is about a whale, but still...) Er, Jilly Cooper's Riders is about show jumping?
I don't see climbing as particularly unsuitable material, though - a lot of books about people who do X are really about the people but seen partly through the lens of whatever it is they do, and climbing is as good a lens as any. I think the real issue is that people who can write well are fairly thin on the ground, and people who can talk knowledgeably about climbing aren't that common either, and people who can do both are very rare indeed and still might have other things that they'd rather write about.
FWIW, John Masters' Far Far the Mountain Peak might count as well.
In reply to John2:
Worth a read though I read it 20 years ago. Must get it off the shelf.
> Never read it, but what's Al Harris's Take it to the Limit like?
Worth a read though I read it 20 years ago. Must get it off the shelf.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Vortex - David Harris. Loosely based on the Yosemite drug haul. Quite good
Angels of Light - Jeff Long. Loosely based on the Yosemite drug haul. Overblown
The Wall, The Ascent - Jeff Long. Both overrated IMHO
Hazards Way - R Hubank. More climbing background than climbing but excellent
The Ice Mirror - Charles MacHardy. Eiger Sanction like tosh. We all read it in Chamonix during a wet season (c1973)
Vortex - David Harris. Loosely based on the Yosemite drug haul. Quite good
Angels of Light - Jeff Long. Loosely based on the Yosemite drug haul. Overblown
The Wall, The Ascent - Jeff Long. Both overrated IMHO
Hazards Way - R Hubank. More climbing background than climbing but excellent
The Ice Mirror - Charles MacHardy. Eiger Sanction like tosh. We all read it in Chamonix during a wet season (c1973)
In reply to Skyfall:
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen?
> More seriously, I suspect it's too narrow an activity for a complete novel. How many novels do you know which focus on, say, golf or fishing (both of which are much more popular activities)? Or maybe I just don't know about them.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen?
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In reply to Ramblin dave:
Which is the point, really. Switching media, The Great British Bake Off isn't a successful programme because it tells you a lot about baking.
You could argue that it's better than many, putting people under stress and in dangerous places, reliant only on their own strength, their partner and luck with the conditions; which makes the absence of a good novel perhaps all the more peculiar.
T.
> I don't see climbing as particularly unsuitable material, though - a lot of books about people who do X are really about the people but seen partly through the lens of whatever it is they do
Which is the point, really. Switching media, The Great British Bake Off isn't a successful programme because it tells you a lot about baking.
> and climbing is as good a lens as any.
You could argue that it's better than many, putting people under stress and in dangerous places, reliant only on their own strength, their partner and luck with the conditions; which makes the absence of a good novel perhaps all the more peculiar.
T.
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
It would be difficult, but Once a Runner managed it with running. You'd need to use climbing as a vehicle to explore the human condition though I'd imagine.
It would be difficult, but Once a Runner managed it with running. You'd need to use climbing as a vehicle to explore the human condition though I'd imagine.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
I loved the period atmosphere in Gillian Linscott's "Widow's Peak", a tale of crime and mystery set in Chamonix set in the aftermath of the Golden Age of Mountaineering when the glaciers of Mont Blanc deliver the remains of a murder victim of a crime twenty years after the event.
A chance find on Penrith market some years ago.
I loved the period atmosphere in Gillian Linscott's "Widow's Peak", a tale of crime and mystery set in Chamonix set in the aftermath of the Golden Age of Mountaineering when the glaciers of Mont Blanc deliver the remains of a murder victim of a crime twenty years after the event.
A chance find on Penrith market some years ago.
Post edited at 18:33
In reply to Steve Ashton:
One Green Bottle (Elizabeth Coxhead) is a great read as is Simon Mawr The Fall. Hubanks Hazards Way I really enjoyed and Glyn Carr murder mysterys are wonderfully innocent though definately 'of their time'.
I've never read any of Gwen Moffats Miss Pink novels though a friend once described them as dreadful.
Agree with previous posts about Dougal Hastons Calculated Risk and Al Harris Take it to the Limit was disappointing too and not as enjoyable as The Fall where, from memory, the plots were not to disimilar.
One Green Bottle (Elizabeth Coxhead) is a great read as is Simon Mawr The Fall. Hubanks Hazards Way I really enjoyed and Glyn Carr murder mysterys are wonderfully innocent though definately 'of their time'.
I've never read any of Gwen Moffats Miss Pink novels though a friend once described them as dreadful.
Agree with previous posts about Dougal Hastons Calculated Risk and Al Harris Take it to the Limit was disappointing too and not as enjoyable as The Fall where, from memory, the plots were not to disimilar.
In reply to John2:
I quite like it. Many of the themes ring true - and the picture painted of the "scene" at a point in time feels pretty accurate. Those closer to the scene will know who it's based on I suspect.
I think compelling novels are about characters, not just stories, and their interactions.
Climbing can provide some good adventure stories, but then the real versions are more compelling.
It's also a minority sport - so the climbing-based bits need a bigger human story to hang on.
I quite like it. Many of the themes ring true - and the picture painted of the "scene" at a point in time feels pretty accurate. Those closer to the scene will know who it's based on I suspect.
I think compelling novels are about characters, not just stories, and their interactions.
Climbing can provide some good adventure stories, but then the real versions are more compelling.
It's also a minority sport - so the climbing-based bits need a bigger human story to hang on.
In reply to Steve Ashton
I'd like to say that the problem is not the subject but the quality of writer, and that if say a McEwan, a Lessing or an Ishiguro tackled it the results might be better than what's hitherto been served up. But I doubt it. Ironically the theme is somewhat two-dimensional, and if Auden (with Isherwood) can make such a hash of it, then most will. That said, M. John's stab wasn't bad, in a Kes sort of way.
I'd like to say that the problem is not the subject but the quality of writer, and that if say a McEwan, a Lessing or an Ishiguro tackled it the results might be better than what's hitherto been served up. But I doubt it. Ironically the theme is somewhat two-dimensional, and if Auden (with Isherwood) can make such a hash of it, then most will. That said, M. John's stab wasn't bad, in a Kes sort of way.
In reply to JJL:
Re Climbers by M. John Harrison. It is a great book, very well based on real people and events with a couple of odd errors:
He says that Samson was by JM Edwards. No it is ABOUT him (page 137)
He says Dirty Derek was so called because he was so clean! Quite the opposite. (page 186)
Re Climbers by M. John Harrison. It is a great book, very well based on real people and events with a couple of odd errors:
He says that Samson was by JM Edwards. No it is ABOUT him (page 137)
He says Dirty Derek was so called because he was so clean! Quite the opposite. (page 186)
In reply to Pedro50:
I think he just used the name "Dirty Derek" as the character in the book was nothing like Derek.
I think he just used the name "Dirty Derek" as the character in the book was nothing like Derek.
In reply to Mark Kemball:
No I can't agree. The whole novel is given a sort of credibility by loosely representing real people. In the book DD is said to have soloed the Naked Edge (true) and various other identifying achievements.
No I can't agree. The whole novel is given a sort of credibility by loosely representing real people. In the book DD is said to have soloed the Naked Edge (true) and various other identifying achievements.
In reply to Pedro50:
Well, to be fair, it's years since I read the book, but I do remember thinking at the time DD was nothing like the Derek I knew.
Well, to be fair, it's years since I read the book, but I do remember thinking at the time DD was nothing like the Derek I knew.
In reply to Jon Stewart:
I'd also recommend it as a read, but by buggery it's depressing.
> I agree Climbers by M John Harrison was excellent. So yes, it's possible!
> Definite recommendation for those who haven't read it.
I'd also recommend it as a read, but by buggery it's depressing.
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
"The Eiger Sanction" a wonderfully witty spoof novel, with some funny lines, and some great if farcical climbing story-lines.
"The Eiger Sanction" a wonderfully witty spoof novel, with some funny lines, and some great if farcical climbing story-lines.
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In reply to Mike-W-99:
I'd certainly include _The Only Geniune Jones_ in my list of compelling climbing novels (it starts as an amusing alternate history, and develops into a life-and-death thriller: what's not to like?)
I'd certainly include _The Only Geniune Jones_ in my list of compelling climbing novels (it starts as an amusing alternate history, and develops into a life-and-death thriller: what's not to like?)
Post edited at 00:41
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
Interesting thread. Climbing clearly offers plenty of scope for exploring human psychology, not to mention drama. My own forthcoming novel (yes, shameless) features climbing quite prominently, though I wouldn't call it a novel about climbing. I can at least promise torquing, combined tactics and a piton used as a doorstop.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1925228290/
Interesting thread. Climbing clearly offers plenty of scope for exploring human psychology, not to mention drama. My own forthcoming novel (yes, shameless) features climbing quite prominently, though I wouldn't call it a novel about climbing. I can at least promise torquing, combined tactics and a piton used as a doorstop.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1925228290/
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
But the above lacks
a) a plot, other than will the protagonist reach the summit or not? That isn't a story. It's a binary event.
b) character development, in the sense that the outcome is not really informed by the development of the individual anywhere other than in the gym. As you recognise, the weather forecast is a bigger determinator of success!
> You could argue that it's better than many, putting people under stress and in dangerous places, reliant only on their own strength, their partner and luck with the conditions; which makes the absence of a good novel perhaps all the more peculiar.
But the above lacks
a) a plot, other than will the protagonist reach the summit or not? That isn't a story. It's a binary event.
b) character development, in the sense that the outcome is not really informed by the development of the individual anywhere other than in the gym. As you recognise, the weather forecast is a bigger determinator of success!
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In reply to BnB:
Indeed; and I noted the importance of a narrative thread (meaning too, though perhaps I should have mentioned it explicitly, a plot) in an earlier post. As for character development, then that's up to how the narrative gets played out. Why are they on a rope together? What tensions lie under the surface? What comes after the summit, assuming they get there?
Questions, questions. My writing muse lies dormant, so I'm afraid I shan't be answering them.
T.
Indeed; and I noted the importance of a narrative thread (meaning too, though perhaps I should have mentioned it explicitly, a plot) in an earlier post. As for character development, then that's up to how the narrative gets played out. Why are they on a rope together? What tensions lie under the surface? What comes after the summit, assuming they get there?
Questions, questions. My writing muse lies dormant, so I'm afraid I shan't be answering them.
T.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Caving rather than climbing , but I thought this was good -cave by ali cooper.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cave-Ali-Cooper-ebook/dp/B004VSYRUG
A bit of a convoluted plot but captures the caving scene well with many familiar characters and scenarios. Particularly impressive how a woman has managed to write from the perspective of a male caver, so much so that i had to check that the author wasn't actually male!
Caving rather than climbing , but I thought this was good -cave by ali cooper.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cave-Ali-Cooper-ebook/dp/B004VSYRUG
A bit of a convoluted plot but captures the caving scene well with many familiar characters and scenarios. Particularly impressive how a woman has managed to write from the perspective of a male caver, so much so that i had to check that the author wasn't actually male!
In reply to Pedro50:
The Ice Mirror - Charles MacHardy. Eiger Sanction like tosh. We all read it in Chamonix during a wet season (c1973)
Crikey, I thought I was the only person who had read this (many years ago).
The Ice Mirror - Charles MacHardy. Eiger Sanction like tosh. We all read it in Chamonix during a wet season (c1973)
Crikey, I thought I was the only person who had read this (many years ago).
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Has nobody mentioned Electric Brae by Andrew Greig? I thought it was brilliant, one of very few novels I've ever read which were actually set in a life anywhere close to my own. The last time we had this thread Mick Ward (no mean writer himself) described it as 'a tour de force' http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=590939.
Has nobody mentioned Electric Brae by Andrew Greig? I thought it was brilliant, one of very few novels I've ever read which were actually set in a life anywhere close to my own. The last time we had this thread Mick Ward (no mean writer himself) described it as 'a tour de force' http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=590939.
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In reply to Steve Ashton:
Best buy is ONE STEP IN THE CLOUDS , omnibus of mountaineering fiction edited by Audrey Salkeld and Rosie Smith; it contains 31 short stories, a play, a novelle and five novels. The introduction is detailed and thoughtful; as is the appendix of 31 page, in two sections, listing numerous short stories and novels, with brief commentary. Recently easily available online; I paid £2.81, in fine condition - not many are read?
This super buy contains ONE GREEN BOTTLE by Elizabeth Coxhead, a must, and as single volume absurdly expensive, if available. I raced through a scrappy paperback in 1966, again in 2002 to test my 'maturer' response; - just as powerful and I apperciated the writing even more; again in 2015: this made me chase up all and anything she had written.
The wonderful omnibus also includes NORTH WALL, 1977, by Roger Hubank, set in the Alps;, and three other novels already mentioned on this thread - but they failed me. We all react differently - not a matter of intelligence or experience. MIDGES I find the best and funniest of G J Dutton - perhaps because the wee beasties are safer in fiction. And not to be missed is IN HANGING GARDEN GULLY by C E Montague.
I also recommend Roger Hubank's more recent EVENING LIGHT. And strongly endorse HAZARD'S WAY, especially if au fait with history in 1900. Then RUNNING WATER, 1907, by AEW Mason - a thriller ending on the Old Brenva route up Mont Blanc's south face. More sentimental, and for those who love Wasdale, is his earlier A ROMANCE IN WASTDALE [sic], 1896.
In time taken at keyboard, the above may have been mentioned already by others.
Best buy is ONE STEP IN THE CLOUDS , omnibus of mountaineering fiction edited by Audrey Salkeld and Rosie Smith; it contains 31 short stories, a play, a novelle and five novels. The introduction is detailed and thoughtful; as is the appendix of 31 page, in two sections, listing numerous short stories and novels, with brief commentary. Recently easily available online; I paid £2.81, in fine condition - not many are read?
This super buy contains ONE GREEN BOTTLE by Elizabeth Coxhead, a must, and as single volume absurdly expensive, if available. I raced through a scrappy paperback in 1966, again in 2002 to test my 'maturer' response; - just as powerful and I apperciated the writing even more; again in 2015: this made me chase up all and anything she had written.
The wonderful omnibus also includes NORTH WALL, 1977, by Roger Hubank, set in the Alps;, and three other novels already mentioned on this thread - but they failed me. We all react differently - not a matter of intelligence or experience. MIDGES I find the best and funniest of G J Dutton - perhaps because the wee beasties are safer in fiction. And not to be missed is IN HANGING GARDEN GULLY by C E Montague.
I also recommend Roger Hubank's more recent EVENING LIGHT. And strongly endorse HAZARD'S WAY, especially if au fait with history in 1900. Then RUNNING WATER, 1907, by AEW Mason - a thriller ending on the Old Brenva route up Mont Blanc's south face. More sentimental, and for those who love Wasdale, is his earlier A ROMANCE IN WASTDALE [sic], 1896.
In time taken at keyboard, the above may have been mentioned already by others.
3
In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:
the AAJ article I linked to above was effectively a review of One step in the clouds, I've also remembered a novel by Thomas Wharton (Icefields) which I bought when in Canada & which might not have been published in the UK. Not sure if I'd call it a climbing novel but it does take place on a glacier and I thought was a good read (just checked & it received several prizes, including Commonwealth Best First Novel )
And what about mountaineering/climbing poetry? Ed Ward Drummond published quite a bit, and one book I miss (my copy is in storage) is Andrew Greig's Men on Ice, although maybe that could be considered biographical.
the AAJ article I linked to above was effectively a review of One step in the clouds, I've also remembered a novel by Thomas Wharton (Icefields) which I bought when in Canada & which might not have been published in the UK. Not sure if I'd call it a climbing novel but it does take place on a glacier and I thought was a good read (just checked & it received several prizes, including Commonwealth Best First Novel )
And what about mountaineering/climbing poetry? Ed Ward Drummond published quite a bit, and one book I miss (my copy is in storage) is Andrew Greig's Men on Ice, although maybe that could be considered biographical.
1
In reply to Adam Long:
Have just ordered thru ABE books for £2.60 post free. Thanks for the heads up
> Has nobody mentioned Electric Brae by Andrew Greig? I thought it was brilliant, one of very few novels I've ever read which were actually set in a life anywhere close to my own. The last time we had this thread Mick Ward (no mean writer himself) described it as 'a tour de force' http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=590939.
Have just ordered thru ABE books for £2.60 post free. Thanks for the heads up
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Has no one mentioned Todra yet? I have to confess I haven't read it personally.
Has no one mentioned Todra yet? I have to confess I haven't read it personally.
In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:
Thanks for this tip, especially since I was about to buy One Green Bottle on its own for £6. So, just bought OSITC in VG condition for 1p plus 2.80 postage for a 1000-page hardback. How is that even possible (unless it's delivered via China)?
> Best buy is ONE STEP IN THE CLOUDS , omnibus of mountaineering fiction edited by Audrey Salkeld and Rosie Smith; it contains 31 short stories, a play, a novelle and five novels. The introduction is detailed and thoughtful; as is the appendix of 31 page, in two sections, listing numerous short stories and novels, with brief commentary. Recently easily available online; I paid £2.81, in fine condition - not many are read?
Thanks for this tip, especially since I was about to buy One Green Bottle on its own for £6. So, just bought OSITC in VG condition for 1p plus 2.80 postage for a 1000-page hardback. How is that even possible (unless it's delivered via China)?
2
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Any body else enjoyed the short comic novels by Dominique Potard (a French guide)? (Le Port de la Mer de Glace, Titanesque, Welcome to Chamonix -Une Anglaise au mont Blanc see https://www.editionspaulsen.com/authors/p/dominique-potard.html
Any body else enjoyed the short comic novels by Dominique Potard (a French guide)? (Le Port de la Mer de Glace, Titanesque, Welcome to Chamonix -Une Anglaise au mont Blanc see https://www.editionspaulsen.com/authors/p/dominique-potard.html
In reply to Adam Long:
That was the one I thought of. It's not really about climbing, although climbing does feature as an important element. Apparently a number of climbers thought they recognised themselves and were a bit peeved at the way they thought the author had represented them. The same author's 'The Return of John McNab' has the same issues - I can definitely recognise one climber in the cast.
> Has nobody mentioned Electric Brae by Andrew Greig? I thought it was brilliant, one of very few novels I've ever read which were actually set in a life anywhere close to my own. The last time we had this thread Mick Ward (no mean writer himself) described it as 'a tour de force' http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=590939.
That was the one I thought of. It's not really about climbing, although climbing does feature as an important element. Apparently a number of climbers thought they recognised themselves and were a bit peeved at the way they thought the author had represented them. The same author's 'The Return of John McNab' has the same issues - I can definitely recognise one climber in the cast.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Many thanks for all these suggestions to follow up, and for your thoughts on mountaineering fiction in general. I had in mind to write a character/relationship driven novel that happened to use climbing as a backdrop because:
(a) It's something I already know a bit about (but with enough time since being actively involved to avoid being sucked into over-describing the technical stuff).
(b) I'm interested in the psychology of risk taking and avoidance.
(c) Climbing naturally offers a rapidly developing character arc from novice to veteran in just a few years (similar to soldiers in wartime).
(d) Climbing plausibly brings together people from very different backgrounds and nationalities and takes them to exotic places.
(e) There's inbuilt conflict and jeopardy from the environment.
Downsides seems to be:
(a) Climbing is a bit like sex - easier to do (hah!) than analyse and write about.
(b) Climbers - a valuable potential core readership - would likely also be the most critical of the inevitably dumbed-down climbing passages and fictionalised locations. Also they tend be very well read, so have high expectations.
(c) Unless the book reaches its climax on Everest or the North Face of the Eiger, a mainstream publisher may not be interested.
Anyway, lots to think about. After my original post, I hoped to get half a dozen replies within a week, so to get dozens of helpful responses in under 24hrs is astounding and a great testament to the general standard of debate on this forum. So again - many, many thanks.
Many thanks for all these suggestions to follow up, and for your thoughts on mountaineering fiction in general. I had in mind to write a character/relationship driven novel that happened to use climbing as a backdrop because:
(a) It's something I already know a bit about (but with enough time since being actively involved to avoid being sucked into over-describing the technical stuff).
(b) I'm interested in the psychology of risk taking and avoidance.
(c) Climbing naturally offers a rapidly developing character arc from novice to veteran in just a few years (similar to soldiers in wartime).
(d) Climbing plausibly brings together people from very different backgrounds and nationalities and takes them to exotic places.
(e) There's inbuilt conflict and jeopardy from the environment.
Downsides seems to be:
(a) Climbing is a bit like sex - easier to do (hah!) than analyse and write about.
(b) Climbers - a valuable potential core readership - would likely also be the most critical of the inevitably dumbed-down climbing passages and fictionalised locations. Also they tend be very well read, so have high expectations.
(c) Unless the book reaches its climax on Everest or the North Face of the Eiger, a mainstream publisher may not be interested.
Anyway, lots to think about. After my original post, I hoped to get half a dozen replies within a week, so to get dozens of helpful responses in under 24hrs is astounding and a great testament to the general standard of debate on this forum. So again - many, many thanks.
3
In reply to allanscott:
I've read it (well, tried to anyway). It was meant to be "literary" I think, but the climbing stuff, if I recall rightly, made it impossible to take seriously.
I've also read the Eiger Sanction. Rubbish pulp book made into a hugely entertaining film (at least I thought so!)
> The Ice Mirror - Charles MacHardy. Eiger Sanction like tosh. We all read it in Chamonix during a wet season (c1973)
> Crikey, I thought I was the only person who had read this (many years ago).
I've read it (well, tried to anyway). It was meant to be "literary" I think, but the climbing stuff, if I recall rightly, made it impossible to take seriously.
I've also read the Eiger Sanction. Rubbish pulp book made into a hugely entertaining film (at least I thought so!)
In reply to Pedro50:
Hmm, I too was ensconced in a dripping plastic palace on Snell's Field throughout the summer of '73, but seem to recall spending my time flicking through a stack of Danish magazines that were doing the rounds (until confiscated during a raid by gendarmes looking for filched merchandise). Not a highly literary experience, I admit, but definitely an educational one.
> The Ice Mirror - Charles MacHardy. Eiger Sanction like tosh. We all read it in Chamonix during a wet season (c1973)
Hmm, I too was ensconced in a dripping plastic palace on Snell's Field throughout the summer of '73, but seem to recall spending my time flicking through a stack of Danish magazines that were doing the rounds (until confiscated during a raid by gendarmes looking for filched merchandise). Not a highly literary experience, I admit, but definitely an educational one.
1
In reply to Steve Ashton:
> Anyway, lots to think about. After my original post, I hoped to get half a dozen replies within a week, so to get dozens of helpful responses in under 24hrs is astounding and a great testament to the general standard of debate on this forum. So again - many, many thanks.
No problems, we'll all buy the 1st edition. Good luck
> Anyway, lots to think about. After my original post, I hoped to get half a dozen replies within a week, so to get dozens of helpful responses in under 24hrs is astounding and a great testament to the general standard of debate on this forum. So again - many, many thanks.
No problems, we'll all buy the 1st edition. Good luck
1
2
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
If you continue to make derogatory remarks about The Eiger sanction, then I guess it's only fair to warn you I'll have to waste you a little.
Actually, having looked up a few quotes to make sure I got the one above correct, the climbing ones aren't as cheesy as I remembered. Many of them are (to my simple soul anyway) quite good. If they are from the book then maybe I'll give it a go.
https://adventure-journal.com/2014/11/the-aj-list-our-11-favorite-quotes-fr...
If you continue to make derogatory remarks about The Eiger sanction, then I guess it's only fair to warn you I'll have to waste you a little.
Actually, having looked up a few quotes to make sure I got the one above correct, the climbing ones aren't as cheesy as I remembered. Many of them are (to my simple soul anyway) quite good. If they are from the book then maybe I'll give it a go.
https://adventure-journal.com/2014/11/the-aj-list-our-11-favorite-quotes-fr...
2
In reply to Adam Long:
Second that - am reading it right now (electric brae). Brilliant.
Second that - am reading it right now (electric brae). Brilliant.
Post edited at 14:22
1
In reply to groovejunkie:
Good to hear. One of the few books I've finished and immediately restarted.
'Compelling, character/relationship driven novel that happens to use climbing as a backdrop' - certainly seems to fit the brief.
Good to hear. One of the few books I've finished and immediately restarted.
'Compelling, character/relationship driven novel that happens to use climbing as a backdrop' - certainly seems to fit the brief.
1
1
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Light hearted SCRATCH AND CO, by Molly Lefebure, 1968, is a humorous take on early Himalayan expeditions, undertaken by cats in Borrowdale with dogs as sherpas for their assault on Scafell. Loving the Lakes I do not see it as ‘a children’s story’ - but one reader’s humour is another’s boredom. The so-called ‘funniest book for years’, and given I see two stars by Salkeld and Smith, was THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE, 1956, by W E Bowman: they do quote two clearly opposed Alpine Club responses; the first one ‘A rather laborious skit’ reflects my reaction, very laboured and tedious. Away from climbing [and down to walking], I was pleasantly surprised and amused by Don Shaw’s THE HIKE , 2004. Three middle-aged friends perform and philosophise on a monthly walk in the Peak District, from January to December. His follow-up, with similar title, tries but fails to maintain the freshness, wit and observation of character.
Light hearted SCRATCH AND CO, by Molly Lefebure, 1968, is a humorous take on early Himalayan expeditions, undertaken by cats in Borrowdale with dogs as sherpas for their assault on Scafell. Loving the Lakes I do not see it as ‘a children’s story’ - but one reader’s humour is another’s boredom. The so-called ‘funniest book for years’, and given I see two stars by Salkeld and Smith, was THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE, 1956, by W E Bowman: they do quote two clearly opposed Alpine Club responses; the first one ‘A rather laborious skit’ reflects my reaction, very laboured and tedious. Away from climbing [and down to walking], I was pleasantly surprised and amused by Don Shaw’s THE HIKE , 2004. Three middle-aged friends perform and philosophise on a monthly walk in the Peak District, from January to December. His follow-up, with similar title, tries but fails to maintain the freshness, wit and observation of character.
1
In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it tedious and banal. Never understood what people see in it
> THE ASCENT OF RUM DOODLE, 1956, by W E Bowman: they do quote two clearly opposed Alpine Club responses; the first one ‘A rather laborious skit’ reflects my reaction, very laboured and tedious.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it tedious and banal. Never understood what people see in it
3
In reply to Robert Durran:
A sense of if humour is required. How do you feel when someone steps on a rake and it hits them in the face? Concerned?
> I'm glad I'm not the only one who found it tedious and banal. Never understood what people see in it
A sense of if humour is required. How do you feel when someone steps on a rake and it hits them in the face? Concerned?
2
In reply to Robert Durran:
Indeed, I was forced to abandon it after a few chapters when I found an old tract concerning the fonts used on early dot matrix printers was more alluring.
Indeed, I was forced to abandon it after a few chapters when I found an old tract concerning the fonts used on early dot matrix printers was more alluring.
1
In reply to Steve Ashton:
A particular favourite of mine is First On The Rope by Frison Roche.
I'm not sure of its literary merit - I'm not a very discerning reader - but it is really evocative of what Chamonix must have been like in the 30s and when you know the area (as most on here will) it's a really compelling insight into how the Valley has evolved, and how the culture developed.
I learnt a few tips from it as well, and learnt some surprising things - who has ever heard of fighting cows??!! They cerftainly knew how to enjoy themselves in the old days...
A particular favourite of mine is First On The Rope by Frison Roche.
I'm not sure of its literary merit - I'm not a very discerning reader - but it is really evocative of what Chamonix must have been like in the 30s and when you know the area (as most on here will) it's a really compelling insight into how the Valley has evolved, and how the culture developed.
I learnt a few tips from it as well, and learnt some surprising things - who has ever heard of fighting cows??!! They cerftainly knew how to enjoy themselves in the old days...
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Just finished reading this intriguing book. Surprised no one has mentioned it. Its main character is reputedly based on Gary Hemming (the Hemming/Robbins American Direct on the Dru is described, as is Hemming's subsequent rescue of climbers on the West Face). It captures the feel of Chamonix in that era, and the day-to-day hardships of being a climbing bum during a long season. Salter doesn't dwell on the climbing passages once their wider purpose (of developing character) has been served, but they are convincing enough to portray some of the experience of high-grade alpinism. He's also good on alpine weather - storms, bitter pre-dawn cold etc. Sufficiently poetic without being distractingly 'clever'. He has a habit of viewpoint head-hopping that I find very distracting and quite damaging. Not sure about the ending, but that was always going to be tricky. There's also some casual racism - particularly towards Japanese climbers. Offensive now, it's shocking to recall how widespread that attitude was back in the 60s/70s. Excellent otherwise, and a convincing study of how the ideals of a loner climber who initially shuns publicity can be eroded by envy and a yearning for recognition. His selfish passion for climbing destroys relationships. And when courage finally fails him, what then? (Sound familiar?)
> I’ve just bought (though not yet read) Solo Faces by James Salter. Despite it being written in 1979, I see no mention of this in previous threads here.
Just finished reading this intriguing book. Surprised no one has mentioned it. Its main character is reputedly based on Gary Hemming (the Hemming/Robbins American Direct on the Dru is described, as is Hemming's subsequent rescue of climbers on the West Face). It captures the feel of Chamonix in that era, and the day-to-day hardships of being a climbing bum during a long season. Salter doesn't dwell on the climbing passages once their wider purpose (of developing character) has been served, but they are convincing enough to portray some of the experience of high-grade alpinism. He's also good on alpine weather - storms, bitter pre-dawn cold etc. Sufficiently poetic without being distractingly 'clever'. He has a habit of viewpoint head-hopping that I find very distracting and quite damaging. Not sure about the ending, but that was always going to be tricky. There's also some casual racism - particularly towards Japanese climbers. Offensive now, it's shocking to recall how widespread that attitude was back in the 60s/70s. Excellent otherwise, and a convincing study of how the ideals of a loner climber who initially shuns publicity can be eroded by envy and a yearning for recognition. His selfish passion for climbing destroys relationships. And when courage finally fails him, what then? (Sound familiar?)
In reply to Chris Fitzhugh:
I stumbled across this one on Librivox a month or so a go and was astonished that so early a novel could have such evocative detail about climbing. I really enjoyed it but didn't expect anyone else to have heard of it!
> Then RUNNING WATER, 1907, by AEW Mason - a thriller ending on the Old Brenva route up Mont Blanc's south face.
I stumbled across this one on Librivox a month or so a go and was astonished that so early a novel could have such evocative detail about climbing. I really enjoyed it but didn't expect anyone else to have heard of it!
In reply to Robert Durran:
Sorry - Sound Of Gravity was a total disappointment to me as a Simpson fan. Unpleasant basically.
Sorry - Sound Of Gravity was a total disappointment to me as a Simpson fan. Unpleasant basically.
In reply to Jon Stewart:
I'm afraid I struggled through Climbers and didn't enjoy it at all. Possibly as i was reading it on a surfing trip in sunny Costa Rica and most of the book was set on mist wreathed moors and was particularly gloomy and dark throughout.
I'm afraid I struggled through Climbers and didn't enjoy it at all. Possibly as i was reading it on a surfing trip in sunny Costa Rica and most of the book was set on mist wreathed moors and was particularly gloomy and dark throughout.
1
In reply to shantaram:
... whereas I was living in Huddersfield when I read it, and could recognise only too well its damp, bleak moorland crags...
... whereas I was living in Huddersfield when I read it, and could recognise only too well its damp, bleak moorland crags...
1
In reply to shantaram:
I don't remember it as particularly depressing. But then I could be described as a miserable northern climber, for whom climbing is just a way to avoid and forget the bleak reality of my life; so it all just seemed normal to me!
> I'm afraid I struggled through Climbers and didn't enjoy it at all. Possibly as i was reading it on a surfing trip in sunny Costa Rica and most of the book was set on mist wreathed moors and was particularly gloomy and dark throughout.
I don't remember it as particularly depressing. But then I could be described as a miserable northern climber, for whom climbing is just a way to avoid and forget the bleak reality of my life; so it all just seemed normal to me!
Post edited at 19:35
1
In reply to Steve Ashton:
There's a Kindle e-book thriller - Diamond Death - set on Lundy. Climbing side seems okay-ish. Don't know about the rest.
There's a Kindle e-book thriller - Diamond Death - set on Lundy. Climbing side seems okay-ish. Don't know about the rest.
In reply to Jon Stewart:
Found Climbers disappointing in same way as 'shantaram'. Kept on thinking the characters should get a grip. The Joe Simpson novel, Sound of Gravity, was grisly but, I figured, impressive for a first try at fiction. Better written then Haston's Calculated Risk. Still, I enjoyed them both for what they were. Mawer's The Fall was well-written and the climbing action and scenes were good but the book as a whole missed something for me. I tried reading some of his other novels and gave up - but then I'm a thriller person these days.
Found Climbers disappointing in same way as 'shantaram'. Kept on thinking the characters should get a grip. The Joe Simpson novel, Sound of Gravity, was grisly but, I figured, impressive for a first try at fiction. Better written then Haston's Calculated Risk. Still, I enjoyed them both for what they were. Mawer's The Fall was well-written and the climbing action and scenes were good but the book as a whole missed something for me. I tried reading some of his other novels and gave up - but then I'm a thriller person these days.
In reply to Chris_Mellor:
It was his second try and, I thought, better than his first, The Water People.
> The Joe Simpson novel, Sound of Gravity, was grisly but, I figured, impressive for a first try at fiction.
It was his second try and, I thought, better than his first, The Water People.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
I look forward to reading it!
I'm writing something with climbers (and alpine climbing) fairly central to the story. Thus far I've managed to avoid writing too much about climbing because writing about climbing is almost as boring as reading about climbing!
I've used climbing (the culture and settings more than anything) in a couple of books of short stories that I've written, PM me if you want emailed a copy.
I look forward to reading it!
I'm writing something with climbers (and alpine climbing) fairly central to the story. Thus far I've managed to avoid writing too much about climbing because writing about climbing is almost as boring as reading about climbing!
I've used climbing (the culture and settings more than anything) in a couple of books of short stories that I've written, PM me if you want emailed a copy.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
M.John Harrison's Climbers is a fine book but it is thinly-disguised autobiography. if you knew any of the characters in the Lancashire climbing scene of the 70s it is great fun working out who is who. Bob Almanac, is of course, Bob Whitaker (Whitakers Almanac - geddit?) and Normal has a striking resemblance to Al Evans. Don't quote me on that. Not sure who Sankey is, though.
The problem with using climbing in fiction is that, like any dangerous sport, it is difficult to get over the fear and tension on the page. Hemingway managed it for bull-fighting in Death in the Afternoon, but, for me, the only writer who has really made a go of it for climbing is John Long in his essay The Only Blasphemy.
M.John Harrison's Climbers is a fine book but it is thinly-disguised autobiography. if you knew any of the characters in the Lancashire climbing scene of the 70s it is great fun working out who is who. Bob Almanac, is of course, Bob Whitaker (Whitakers Almanac - geddit?) and Normal has a striking resemblance to Al Evans. Don't quote me on that. Not sure who Sankey is, though.
The problem with using climbing in fiction is that, like any dangerous sport, it is difficult to get over the fear and tension on the page. Hemingway managed it for bull-fighting in Death in the Afternoon, but, for me, the only writer who has really made a go of it for climbing is John Long in his essay The Only Blasphemy.
In reply to jonnie3430:
Not so. What’s required, apparently, is for us all to share your sense of humour. I suspect most of us Brits are morbidly fearful of being exposed as having no sense of humour, so we take a severe risk with our self-esteem when we venture to admit that something apparently almost universally regarded as hilarious, like Rum Doodle, leaves us cold, or worse. I enjoy various kinds of comedy and humorous writing, and have on occasions so far forgotten myself as to laugh out loud while reading. But I don’t find Rum Doodle funny at all. I could be a good deal less complimentary about it, but I’m too much of an old wimp to risk a severe dusting-up on here from the Rum Doodle Appreciation Society.
Otherwise, I'm really enjoying this interesting thread.
> A sense of if humour is required.
Not so. What’s required, apparently, is for us all to share your sense of humour. I suspect most of us Brits are morbidly fearful of being exposed as having no sense of humour, so we take a severe risk with our self-esteem when we venture to admit that something apparently almost universally regarded as hilarious, like Rum Doodle, leaves us cold, or worse. I enjoy various kinds of comedy and humorous writing, and have on occasions so far forgotten myself as to laugh out loud while reading. But I don’t find Rum Doodle funny at all. I could be a good deal less complimentary about it, but I’m too much of an old wimp to risk a severe dusting-up on here from the Rum Doodle Appreciation Society.
Otherwise, I'm really enjoying this interesting thread.
In reply to Steve Ashton:
The Rope Dancer, may have already been mentioned but I'm in a lecture and can't be arsed trawling through the other replies.
The Rope Dancer, may have already been mentioned but I'm in a lecture and can't be arsed trawling through the other replies.
In reply to Bob Aitken:
Totally agree. I read it years ago and couldn't see anything to make me even smile. Perhaps now in my dotage I ought to give it another go and see if second childhood helps.
Totally agree. I read it years ago and couldn't see anything to make me even smile. Perhaps now in my dotage I ought to give it another go and see if second childhood helps.
1
In reply to Steve Ashton:
Do you ride a bike at all? If you could do for climbing what Tim Krabbe did with The Rider, you'd be bang on. Properly in the mind of the rider but without (I don't think) excluding non-bikegeeks.
Re: Climbers, the author popped up on my twitter feed recently and seemed happy enough with my 'grubby' comment. Not a slur btw.
Do you ride a bike at all? If you could do for climbing what Tim Krabbe did with The Rider, you'd be bang on. Properly in the mind of the rider but without (I don't think) excluding non-bikegeeks.
Re: Climbers, the author popped up on my twitter feed recently and seemed happy enough with my 'grubby' comment. Not a slur btw.
Post edited at 15:01
1
In reply to jcw:
I doubt it. I wouldn't waste your time.
> Totally agree. I read it years ago and couldn't see anything to make me even smile. Perhaps now in my dotage I ought to give it another go and see if second childhood helps.
I doubt it. I wouldn't waste your time.
1
1
In reply to jcw:
Try reading Frank Smythe's Kangchenjunga Adventure, and you'll see what a fine pastiche Rum Doodle is of the prevailing style.
> Totally agree. I read it years ago and couldn't see anything to make me even smile. Perhaps now in my dotage I ought to give it another go and see if second childhood helps.
Try reading Frank Smythe's Kangchenjunga Adventure, and you'll see what a fine pastiche Rum Doodle is of the prevailing style.
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