The Gate of Eden

by William Corlett

Excellent book.

176 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

William Corlett (8 October 1938 - 16 August 2005), was an English children's writer, best known for his quartet of novels, The Magician's House, published between 1990 and 1992.

Corlett was born in Darlington, County Durham. He was educated at Fettes College, Edinburgh, then trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He worked as an actor while embarking on a literary career during the 1960s, and wrote plays and adult novels as well as the children's novels for which he is particularly remembered. Several of his works were adapted for the screen.

Later in life he came out as gay, and it was from his partner, Bryn Ellis, that he gained some of his inspiration for The Magician's House. Corlett died of cancer at Sarlat in France.

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"'The Gate of Eden' explores the emotions of a boy who encounters, for the first time, a friendship he can trust and respect. His home life is secure but not always sympathetic, and he does not seem able to fit in with his parents' busy plans for the future. The narrator of this story (the boy in later life) traces the growth of his new friendship; the influence of the man, Mr. Falconer, on his developing literary tastes; and the threat to the relationship posed by uncomprehending parents and a possessive girlfriend. Ultimately, it it is the boy himself who destroys the situation through his own lack of understanding.

"William Corlett's novel describes an emotionally turbulent year, and has much to say about the way in which our lives touch and influence the lives of others. It is a book about friendship: its strengths, its responsibilities, and its sometimes tragic disappointments." From the jacket flyleaf of the 1974 hardback from Hamish Hamilton.

In 1975, a Times Literary Supplement reviewer wrote of William Corlett's book, The Gate Of Eden: "It is difficult to do justice in a small space to the liveliness and moments of farce as well as the pathos of this immaculate and sympathetic novel."

This was William Corlett's first novel, two more were published in 1975, and none of them were thought of as 'YA' novels. Possibly the category didn't exist back then in the way it does now but the important fact is that this is a novel, aimed at adults, not teenagers or children. Anyone who has read 'Then and Now' will find interesting echoes in this work though I would emphasise it is not a gay, queer or homosexual novel but then again maybe it is in a very quiet and understated way. This is a novel about growing up and in many ways it reflects its authors own youth in the 1950s rather than that of a teenager in 1974. Because Corlett wrote successful children's books and also adapted this novel for a TV series which broadcast on afternoon TV in the 1980s this and its companion volumes have tended to be defined as YA. But as I never get tired of pointing out 'Gulliver's Travels' was not written for children and neither was 'Lord of the Flies' and while 'The Gate of Eden' is not in the league of either of those novels it is very, very good.

I think anyone who has read and enjoyed 'Now and Then' and wants to read more by Corlett will enjoy this novel.

[James Lark]

A bit of a neglected gem. I picked up a copy with a hideous double exposed cover that makes it look like a Saturday afternoon children’s TV serial and a design that is clearly aimed at the Young Adult audience of the 70s. Funny how people assumed - or assume - that a Coming Of Age novel would be of particular interest to the young. As a teenager I’d have found this utterly inconsequential, whereas approaching my fourth decade I took a great deal from its understated nostalgia. Inconsequential? Maybe. Little moments can be big turning points for individuals, and It takes a lot of skill to communicate the abstract sadness of these memories. It put me in mind of ‘The Go-Between’ long before it half quoted it in the final chapter, and has a similarly haunting quality thanks to the poetry of the prose and the restraint shown in the telling, most notably in the unspoken aspect of sexuality that so many YA authors splash around these days to so much less effect.

60p well spent.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book 34 of my #2017readingchallenge was a sort of accident - I finished the last book and had nothing to read on my commute home, so I grabbed this one from the work bookshelf. It's William Corlett's "The Gate of Eden." And it was a weird choice.

Look, you're not gonna read it, it's barely visible on Goodreads. It's a glimpse into an English kid's unlikely friendship with an older gent who was kicked out of the school he as teaching at (this is never explained except very vaguely). The book is sad. Spoiler - the older man's funny little dog dies in the first 50 pages; he's killed by some shitty teens playing a prank. Yeah. It's THAT kind of book.

So that's all you need to know. It's a melancholic tale that at times is awkward (1970s UK English verbiage is weird). It serves as a reminder though that you should be kind to people, all living creatures...tread softly and carry a big stick to throw for pups.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

dull..