Behind the Mirror

by Robin Maugham

A film company is making a movie about Daphne Moore, a famous actress of the 1920s, but to proceed they must secure the permission of Norman Hartleigh, a former diplomat once deeply involved with the star. So far, the reclusive Hartleigh has ignored all communications, so scriptwriter David Brent is sent to East Africa to track him down. When Hartleigh refuses to cooperate, Brent resolves to learn why and must uncover the details of his relationship with Daphne Moore, the real reason for his abrupt resignation from the Foreign Office in 1928, and the true nature of his involvement with his young companion, Bill Wayne. In a dramatic climax, the whole truth of what lies “behind the mirror” is exposed, with shattering consequences. . . .

191 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, rounded down.

There is just something about Willie's nephew's writing I find really appealing, since this is the 4th of his works I've now read, and I've enjoyed them all. They have a bit of a pulpy quality, with an over-current of repressed homosexuality that is intriguing for the period; the prose itself is always excellent, and they are both pithy and propulsive. This takes place largely in Tanganyika and reminded me both of the more exotic works of Paul Bowles, and the true-crime story at the heart of White Mischief. Had I not read the preface first, which more or less gives away a major plot point, this MIGHT have garnered a full 5 stars -- why do authors always shoot themselves in the foot when writing those? R. Maugham is almost never read these days, which is a shame, since he is a unique stylist and quite fun.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A modest achievement and enjoyable, but not much more. It needed to either fully embrace its pulpier elements, or commit to more pages than the length of a novella allows. As is, it feels somewhat like a treatment for a film—which makes some sense, as the search for an idea on which to base a film script is a major plot point—with the characters, "exotic" colonial African setting, and melodramatic plot turns all feeling too broadly sketched, outlines awaiting the kind of vivid details and insights that make for something truly memorable.

At the same time, what is there is deftly handled; Maugham, the nephew of W. Somerset, clearly possesses the family knack for engaging storytelling, and I'm certainly still interested in reading his most famous work, The Servant . But even if it's no lost masterpiece, I'm glad Valancourt Books has brought it back into print (in a handsomely produced edition, per usual), and also glad I read it—it's the type of novel that helps fill out my understanding of how queer-inflected stories could be handled at a certain point in time, and the type of queer content a reader might possibly cross paths with in popular literature. In their own way the middling and the mid-range can give us just as much insight into an era, and a literary tradition, as the unqualified triumphs.

"But one must accept limitations and exploit such talent as one has. I have a flair for what entertains, and I write my scripts with a slight American accent that brings in dollars. I do not write my scripts as an artist because I am not an artist... why should I worry?"

[Steven Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANOTHER MARVELOUS STORY

Another brilliant, sophisticated, and thoroughly enrapturing story from a man who has become one of my favorite authors! Robin Maugham was not as famous outside the U.K. as was his uncle, Somerset, but he did gain quite a well lauded reputation in Great Britain. It is easy to see why.

The first two of his books I read were full-length novels, THE WRONG PEOPLE (perhaps his most controversial) and THE LINK: A VICTORIAN MYSTERY (based on a true story "ripped from the headlines" ... of the 1860s)! This third book is more a "novella" coming in just under two hundred pages, but it still has the same intricacy, finesse, and literary slickness as his other works. He writes in such a conversational narrative you feel you are sitting in his parlor and he's simply telling you some fascinating personal story.

In this story, a screenwriter has been sent to the British colony of Tanzania to track down a former British diplomat. He mysteriously resigned from the British Foreign Office after he was thwarted in the 1920s by a famous British actress. It seems they had a clandestine and heated love affair that somehow went tragically wrong. The screenwriter has imagined a reason why in his manuscript and his production company wants to turn the story into a film. The actress is long since dead, but the mysterious former diplomat is still very much alive and his sign-off is needed to make the film. When the writer arrives in the remote African jungle, nothing is as it seems. It never is with Maugham's stories.

Robin Maugham, besides being a well-received author in his day, was also a hero of World War II, and a member of the Bristish House of Lords. Like his uncle, he also happened to be a homosexual. Sadly, Robin Maugham died of diabetes related to his alcoholism in 1981. His three books I have now read always contain gay characters with storylines portraying them sympathetically; showing their humanity and normalcy at a time when the world seemed to question both. I suppose I really like that about Maugham's stories too!

[Pascale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-done but not particularly memorable. This is the story of David, a script-writer who has to travel to Africa to wrest permission from a retired diplomat to use his legendary affair with a movie star in a biopic of the actress in question. As David understands it, Norman Hartleigh fell in love with Daphne Moore when she made her comeback to the stage in Hartleigh's debut play. In David's script, the affair ends when Daphne, who is a decade older than her lover, decides to sacrifice herself on the altar of the young diplomat's bright future. However, when he arrives in East Africa and meets Norman, David finds out that the reality is very different from the sentimental tale he has concocted. Norman never had an affair with Daphne, but developed an attachment to Daphne's teenage son. Furious to be spurned and jealous of the tender feelings between Norman and her son, Daphne staged a dramatic scene in order to convince her friends than Norman was a pedophile. That is the reason why Norman put a premature end to his diplomatic career and fled to a remote corner of the Empire. In Africa, he has taken under his wing a young man who reminds him of Peter, and who is madly in love with the wife of one of their neighbors. The story comes to a dramatic conclusion with Norman dying in an attempt to prevent his protégé from being killed by the cuckold husband. It's all rather well-plotted and effective, but somehow the characters are not strong enough to bring this tale of thwarted passions to the boil.

[ALEARDO ZANGHELLINI · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly good novel, which flows seamlessly towards its dramatic climax. Inventive, with well-sketched (and I use the word ‘sketched’ deliberately) characters, and a very believable narrative voice. Satisfyngly tidy, trim writing style. This was published in 1955, two years before the Wolfenden report (which recommended the decriminalisation of sexual activity between adult males in private), at the height of an explosion of interest (largely negative) in homosexuality on the part of the British media and public. It is particularly significant, therefore, that the treatment of same sex desire is neither negative nor apologetic. Intriguingly, my 1955 copy is signed by the author (dedicated to one David and Harriet) and dated 22 June 1967. A few days later, in July, the House of Lords would pass the bill (on which the Commons had already voted) that finally changed the law so as to implement the recommendations of the Wolfenden report. It could be entirely accidental; alternatively, perhaps, the author thought that giving out a copy of this book published 12 years earlier was a particularly meaningful way to mark the time when homosexual law reform was finally about to be introduced.

[Orlando Fato · Rating 4 out of 5]

After loving "The Wrong People", I felt a little disappointed with this novel. It had the potential of being a great story, but, at times, I felt I was reading a draft of the story.

Maugham spends a great deal of time narrating David's stay and interaction with expats in Tanganyika, but I wished he had also provided enough details to make the novel interesting from a cultural point of view. Furthermore, the story about Hartleigh, Daphne and her son seems rather rushed. It was a great story within the story, for it was moving and dramatic, although rather brief. The end of the story saves the book, to some extent, because it took an unexpected turn. However, as I approached the end of the novel, I already knew that this would not be a book I would read again.

I am happy I read it, and I cannot say that it was a waste of time. I like the story within the story style of the book, but neither story captivated me as all the stories in the "The Wrong People" did.

[ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. In the manner and preference of of his uncle, Somerset Maugham, there is a beginning, a middle and an end. The plot begins in England but then is mostly set in Tanganyika, a British colonial territory at that time. There is definite political incorrectness by our contemporary standards. But the story is an engrossing one and propels the reader quickly along. The narrator gets embroiled in finding out "the real story" behind a feud between an actress and a young diplomat.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read, with a satisfying conclusion, if a bit pulpy. Maugham is a decent writer but not great: this isn't up to the level of someone like Graham Greene, although the style and the exotic setting reminded me a bit of Greene. The characters are somewhat thinly drawn, and one feels at times that Maugham was constrained by self-censorship. Which is ironic, since self-censorship is what the novel is all about. His novels from the 1960s are less constrained.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.