About three years before Swinging London hit the headlines, Colin Wilson of Outsider fame wrote about the down and out (and in) Soho. Adrift in Soho is Wilson's second novel which reads like a memoir and is a really beautiful snapshot of boho London before it was defined by the popular media of the time. For some, existence in that part of the world was very causal, and for the hardcore Soho citizen, their methods of living totally ignores the mainstream view of life. Colin Wilson always struck me as a romantic but in a very good way. And this is a very solid and quick read into the world of Soho, and its citizens. One sees the beginning of the British Beat movement, but before anyone defined it as a “thing.” And like any good book on London, the city becomes a character in the story. The edition I read is New London Editions, which promises to be an important press regarding my unconditional love for that city.
Thanks for posting about this. I vaguely knew of Colin Wilson. Now I'll definitely check him out.
He's definitely a unique case.
One of the few Colin Wilson books that I haven't read. Have to correct that.
He is usually all over the place, but this book is very underrated.
Thanks Tosh. I haven’t read this one.