Newspaper Article

Old friends are rescuing the capital's authors

Fraser, Flora

2009

Overview

The best story of those energetic years comes from a cousin of mine who was lunching with the distinguished writer, Shiva Naipaul. His book A Hot Country had just come out and after lunch he asked her to go into Truslove and Hanson and ask if they had the book in. \"No,\" came the uncompromising answer, \"and you can tell Mr Naipaul, whom I see lurking outside, that we're not planning on getting it in either.\" But the bookshops were potentially the author's allies, and from those fine independent bookshops, Heywood Hill in Mayfair, John Sandoe in Chelsea and Hatchards in Piccadilly, I received nothing but kindness and encouragement. They, of course, are still going, while Truslove and Hanson is no more. Things changed in the Nebulous Nineties. Books ceased to come out and became \"products\" which were \"launched\" with \"campaigns\". There were also \"whopper\" or \"bonanza\" advances paid out to numerous authors, and many writers, rather than sitting writing or wandering up to the local bookshop for a thriller, took to speaking at literary festivals to startling numbers all over Britain.

• Publisher: Evening Standard Limited