Posted by John Wilson on October 16, 2005 at 13:30:48 from 202.154.157.203 user hugo.
In David Nobbs’ autobiography “I Didn’t Get Where I am Today”, he said that the first truly great writer that he discovered was Captain W. E. Johns. His hero Biggles fough evil threats from nasty deformed foreigners, such as Lascars or mulattos. (David Nobbs wrote novels and TV scripts; he created Reginald Perrin).
His next “best author in the world” was Arthur Ransome. He read and re-read Swallows and Amazons and the sequels, like the near perfect Winter Holiday, Pigeon Post and The Big Six. How innocent the world was then, with a seris of books featuring a girl called Titty. But then Thomas Hardy (Tess of the Tosterones) routed AR (pages 13,22,47)
Also Len Doherty - “the new D. H. Lawrence” according to The Star - from a tough area of Glasgow who “had read profoundly, including all the Greek tragedians, and, bizarrely, Arthur Ransome” (page 103).
David Nobbs also mentions Hugh Brogan, who was in a revue he co-wrote at Cambridge called “Feet Up” But when he wrote to congratulate him on his marvellous biography of AR, Hugh Brogan wrote back: Dear David (undecipherable), .... I have so many friends called David .... WHO ARE YOU? (page 87,295).
Like John and AR, David Nobbs wanted his father’s approval, and was sad that his father died without seeing his best work. His father Cyril Gordon Nobbs, a schoolmaster, wrote maths textbooks, and a book on navigation - he sailed every August (pages 9,24,171).