Revived Writers
Fairly often a well-deserving writer is rediscovered by readers, publishers, or reviewers/critics. The neglected books are brought back into print, retrospective appreciations are written (Dawn Powell) or a sudden rush of affection overwhelms the writer late in life (Barbara Pym). Sometimes the writer’s works are whacked with the magic wand of Hollywood, and the writer becomes much more famous and widely read than in his or her mortality (Philip K. Dick).
Recently I was struck by the handsome editions that a British publisher, Hodder Books, brought out for Pamela Hansford Johnson’s novels. Johnson (1912-1981, CBE, FRSL) was a prolific and multi-talented writer who was the guest of many universities in the US and celebrated in her day. Her second husband, C.P. Snow, had an even higher profile as a writer bridging the sciences and the humanities and wrote successfully and abundantly, including an epic 11-volume series, Strangers and Brothers. Johnson is now back in print. Snow is out of print entirely in the US. Publishers — and booksellers — are mysterious in their giving and taking away. It pays to stay alert to what is revived.
On this page, beginning in the pandemic days of Spring 2020, we will hunt around for revived fiction and its writers. We begin with Johnson. I look forward to listing other authors I carry: Nancy Mitford, Georgette Heyer, Eugenia Price, Sylvia Townsend Warner, and others. (Why are all the names I am thinking of women writers? No idea.)
Enjoy! Experiment! And come back to check on new listings.
When a Man's a Man
When a Man's a Man
Harold Bell Wright tells an inspiring story of self-discovery that takes place on a ranch out west. A mysterious stranger comes walking into town, determined to become an employee of the Cross-Triangle Ranch. Cross-Triangle Ranch is run by Dean Baldwin and his crew. Among these men are the caretaker Phil Acton, the wise-cracking Curly Elson, Dean’s son Little Billy, and his wife Stella.
This stranger goes by the name Honorable Patches. It is obvious to the other employees of the ranch that he is hiding his past and trying to create a radically different future. The men Patches encounters on his journey through Williamson Valley are taken aback by the fact that he has walked the entire way, revealing his inability to ride a horse. Riding a horse is a sign of a country man, so it is easy to see that Patches is from a city and has entered a world that is completely new to him. Yet, Patches shows that he has a strong desire and will to learn. The men of the ranch are mystified and intrigued by him.
Patches must prove himself and learn how to be the kind of man who works at Cross-Triangle. What the reader sees throughout the novel is that Patches is a fast learner and a true man. The story is filled with triumph, camaraderie, and appreciating the simple things in life. By leaving the culture and elitism of the city, Patches is able to understand what it means to be a man.