In Search of New Authors

Apropos of the work of her fellow novelist Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Jane Howard once observed 'How deeply I envy any reader coming to her for the first time'. This is how I feel about the writing of two novelists whose work I have recently begun to explore.

Alexander Baron wrote fourteen novels; to date I have read just one, There's No Home, but very much enjoyed it and so now have thirteen more (hopefully equally as good) to look forward to.

Geoffrey Household was more prolific, racking up 33 works of fiction during his long career. So far, I have devoured five of his offerings, four of which I would thoroughly recommend (not a bad hit rate).

I am therefore now faced with the deliciously enticing prospect of wading my way through the rest of the two men's oeuvres over the course of the next couple of years. I am sure there will be disappointments along the way (as was the case some years ago when I was steadily working my way through the work of Eric Ambler and Nigel Balchin) but let's hope they will be outweighed by the potential delight of making more exciting new discoveries such as Rogue Male, There's No Home and A Rough Shoot.