When I was little I saw London as a magical city where Peter Pan flew
into bedrooms to whisk children to Neverland and Mary Poppins took care
of lucky kids who loved to spontaneously break into song and dance. Now
that I’ve been here for awhile I have to say the magic is gone. Not to
make it sound down or something but it’s a big place with lot of things
pulling at you all at once sometimes. I’m no Wendy but luckily I’m not
looking to fly away anytime soon either. The magic might feel over but
there are many reasons to love the place and so many others are
inspired by their own disillusionment.
Perspective is never very far away in a city of this size.
George Orwell’s, Down and Out in London and Paris, is a great
example of the alternative London experience. Here’s an excerpt from
the part when he’s returning to London from Paris where he struggled to
make ends meet,
‘There are, indeed, many things in England that make you glad to get
home; bathrooms, armchairs, mint sauce, new potatoes properly cooked,
brown bread, marmalade, beer made with veritable hops – they are all
splendid, if you can pay for them. England is a very good country when
you are not poor; and, of course, with a tame imbecile to look after, I
was not going to be poor. The thought of not being poor made me very
patriotic.’
Sadly, he is poor again and he describes what it’s like to sleep on the
Embankment etc. also, he goes into the ins and outs of British slang
which surprisingly remains quite relevant. It’s a good read if you like
journal type writing.
Another good one for an extreme view of London living is Iain Banks’,
Whit. In my opinion Banks is one of the best current Scottish writers
and he often uses London in his fiction. This particular story is one
girls experience with coming to London for the first time and also it’s
a bit of a Go Ask Alice as far as the drug thing is concerned; which I
find entertaining but might not be for everyone. Lots of acid
experimentation and I doubt I have to explain what that would lead to
fiction wise. It’s fun reading.
Bleeding London by Geoff Nicholson uses London in a very intimate way
that isn’t so much fun but more intense. I personally haven’t read this
one but a few friends suggested it and from what I can tell Nicholson
uses London in most of his writing as a central character. Its presence
is what the greatest influence on his characters is and I respect this
since London honestly has that effect on people. Easily one adapts to
London, however, London doesn’t adapt to anyone else. And so often life
is dictated by its limitations rather then your own.
There are plenty of stories using London as a central character and
this is so because living here dictates that sort of relationship. I
have read a few notes in traveller mags about newbies feeling
overwhelmed by life in London and to them I say it’s the nature of it.
Pick up a few books at one of the many shops or markets like the one at
Riverside Walk and once it’s clear no one is alone in their amazement,
it’s a lot easier to be here.
"By seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can shew." -Samuel Johnson
