tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post212104715843188595..comments2024-03-28T05:22:09.542-07:00Comments on Record of a Baffled Spirit: Cheyney BehaveMike Keytonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-22596273746492505952012-07-17T03:36:01.350-07:002012-07-17T03:36:01.350-07:00Adrian,I'm honored that you have responded, an...Adrian,I'm honored that you have responded, and this is not flannel on my part. It was your site that reignited by pre-adolescent love of Cheyney. And I remember earlier advice you gave me on which books to begin collecting. One thing you can be sure of, the book is an honest analysis, and, as an historian I do place Cheyney in the context of his times. I don't entirely agree with you about his portrayal of women. They do tend to cry an awful lot - even the supremely professional Antoinette Brown when she at last realises she is in love. And I do find Julia Heron a bit 'fluffy' and intent on marrying her boss. However, you are right. There are strong women aka Thelma Lyons, Zilla Stevenson, and Tangier, and I give them their due because they stand out.<br /><br />I think Cheyney was chauvinistic and that in itself is not a criticism. It was the default position of the age - especially during World War II which didn't allow for self doubt. <br /><br />What I like very much about Cheyney is that his heroes are by and large flawed. And, in his dark novels he gives an unflinching analysis of war and its coarsening effects on sexual morality - which officialdom brushed over, and which was only acknowledged many years later. <br /><br />The aim of my book is to re-ignite an interest and informed respect of Cheyney - and the reissue of his novels. I pull no punches in the textual analysis. The aim is to entertain and intrigue.<br /><br />Thanks again for the comment, Adrian. I would love to continue this dialogue via email. I would, for example love to know more about Cheyney's knowledge of France and Latin America where he is quite geographically specific. I'd love to know more about his drinking habits. I sense an autobiographical note in his intimate knowledge of alcohol and its effects on Vallon and Kerr. In this respect Michael Harrison's biography verges on perhaps the over respectful.Mike Keytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-82580933182058875292012-07-17T02:57:03.289-07:002012-07-17T02:57:03.289-07:00While it is true that most of Peter Cheyney's ...While it is true that most of Peter Cheyney's early writing is two-dimensional, saying that he used “thoughtless chauvinism” and that “foreigners are not to be trusted” is simply wrong and I hope your book does not take that angle. <br /><br />Some of his best heroes were foreign, such as Ernest Guelvada, the free-Belgian. His women were almost always strong and independent; he even wrote a series of stories about Julia Herron in the first person.<br /><br />Disloyal and weak characters generally met with the sticky end they deserved, regardless of sex or nationality.<br /><br />As you are aware, the ‘Dark’ books are grittier and reflected the disconnection that many of the returning soldiers felt, breaking new ground for the James Bond series, the first published a year after Cheyney’s death.<br /><br />To be fair, ‘pansies’ do get something of a rough deal, but homosexuality was illegal at the time - not to justify it, but just to give context.Adrian Sensiclehttp://www.petercheyney.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-71356785320354191212012-07-17T02:54:51.838-07:002012-07-17T02:54:51.838-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02434933979639572049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-66907913868191190902012-05-22T12:31:05.705-07:002012-05-22T12:31:05.705-07:00Thanks, Misha. Just hoping the book finds a publis...Thanks, Misha. Just hoping the book finds a publisher : )Mike Keytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-88378690894042105602012-05-22T12:27:16.286-07:002012-05-22T12:27:16.286-07:00So true. Although we no longer look at the world l...So true. Although we no longer look at the world like that, it's still an interesting glimpse into what the previous generations were like. :-)Misha Gerrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06364173848456424521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-13675173757313685042012-05-19T11:57:48.528-07:002012-05-19T11:57:48.528-07:00Adam - it's an interesting point you make abou...Adam - it's an interesting point you make about how Cheyney attitudes may well still linger in echelons of the military, though as you suggest they are no longer the norm in the wider world.<br /><br />Stephen, If you're able to find any Cheyney it will be in secondhand bookshops. He's now out of print. But I'd offer you the same caveat as I gave to LD. It demands a particular mindset and a tolerance to entering a less sophisticated world. <br /><br />Jay, London does possess a weird charm - as does Cheyney. I have just finished a book on him which I hope to agent within the next ten days. Hope you all wish me luck : )Mike Keytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-51506204609336527862012-05-18T15:39:50.003-07:002012-05-18T15:39:50.003-07:00First of all, I was much happier to read your post...First of all, I was much happier to read your post when I saw it was about London. I just love that city and hope to be back one day soon. <br />Then Cheney; I'm not very familiar with this author, but I read some of the most famous works by John LeCarré and recently saw the movie "Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy" based on one of his novels. <br />Maybe Cheney was not as talented as the others you mentioned, but as you said, whenever a large mass of people turn to a specific artist, it is still interesting to analyze why they do so. I totally agree with you: it provides a reader with an insight of a world long gone.<br /><br />And I also agree that one can still be a hero regardless of their inner contradictions and flaws (bigotry, chauvinism...).Jay Paolonihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09647807643476130105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-89917472645401283192012-05-18T13:15:14.835-07:002012-05-18T13:15:14.835-07:00I haven't heard of or read Cheney. I used to r...I haven't heard of or read Cheney. I used to read spy novels and maybe I should revisit the genre.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-12582508414777546102012-05-18T11:28:40.082-07:002012-05-18T11:28:40.082-07:00Interesting. I'm unfamiliar with Cheyney's...Interesting. I'm unfamiliar with Cheyney's writings as well. You make some excellent points - one can be a bigot and a chauvinist jerk and still be a good soldier, or a good athlete, and so on... Action, and not thought, often guides their personalities. Wartime heroes rarely make the best role models. <br /><br />I think anyone in the military, or in any male-dominated workplace - or, for that matter, in American politics - will find that many of these "outdated" prejudices are still rampant. Some is simple Type A personality, macho bullshit. The need to say something "tough" or "edgy" in conversation with fellow males. Others are deeply held convictions passed down through generations. I'd like to think that these views are outdated, a product of the times in which they were produced. But I don't entirely believe it.Adam M. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174171725951187454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-82902942947480135122012-05-18T10:27:04.463-07:002012-05-18T10:27:04.463-07:00LD, I'd be surprised if you'd find anythin...LD, I'd be surprised if you'd find anything in print. Most now are yellowing pulps - some collectible. Ref reading them, most definitely, though with one caveat. You need to slip into a 1940s/1950/s mindset and appreciate attitudes that might alternatively shock or amuse youMike Keytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-5902953971360087012012-05-18T09:23:43.906-07:002012-05-18T09:23:43.906-07:00Oh dear, should I admit I've never read Cheyne...Oh dear, should I admit I've never read Cheyney? Do I need to head for the library?LD Mastersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01202135756299574972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-80410091516741022412012-05-18T06:17:37.329-07:002012-05-18T06:17:37.329-07:00True in general, though perhaps the 'dark seri...True in general, though perhaps the 'dark series' reflected more significant issues than BDSM vampires...then again, we all have our momentsMike Keytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15116528233058221536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644036152805047632.post-9201250450700868852012-05-18T05:46:34.180-07:002012-05-18T05:46:34.180-07:00Cheyney's success seems much like EL James (an...Cheyney's success seems much like EL James (another Brit, coincidentally) who smashed records with her self-published 50 Shades of Grey series. <br /><br />Right, wrong, or inappropriate, these authors found their audiences (for the times they lived in).Maria Zanninihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604862636922299273noreply@blogger.com