10/12/15: Norman Collins – London Belongs to Me (1945)

Superb, sprawling saga about the residents of no.10 Dulcimer Street, Kennington, London, with England in the shadow of World War II. In particular the focus is on Mr and Mrs Josser and their family, who form the emotional core of this mini-community. We also meet their landlady Mrs Vizzard, the well-meaning petty criminal Percy, the ravingly politicised Uncle Henry and the devious "spiritualist" Mr Swales. There’s also flamboyant nightclub attendant Connie and food-loving Mr Puddy. The book follows the lives of each character, circa 1938–1940, interweaving the strands brilliantly with both comic and serious moments.

In Ed Glinert's introduction to the Penguin Modern Classics edition, there’s an almost apologetic note about this not being a “complex, sophisticated novel” (i.e., a “serious” work of literary fiction). “It exists simply as soap opera,” he writes. This sells it short. Yes, it’s unashamedly populist and very easy to read, but that’s not to say it’s in any way shallow or formulaic. Far from it: over 830 pages, Norman Collins weaves a huge tapestry that continues to surprise and delight. A huge range of life and experience is presented here and the human truths the author explores are no less relevant now than when this was first published in 1945.

Note: a film, a.k.a. Dulcimer Street, was made in 1948 (featuring Richard Attenborough and Alastair Sim) with significantly altered plot elements.