''Hello Sailor'' is a novel written by

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadwa ...

and consists of several interweaving stories. The novel's structure is jagged, and its characters odd and unusual. The conclusion of the book is unusual in that the majority of text on the last page is blacked out, allowing the reader to choose the ending he or she would most prefer.

Story

''Hello Sailor'' is a satirical view of British politics. Key plot points in the novel include a secret of the British Prime minister, and a "space first" by an astronaut named Sickert. Also, during the course of the novel, every Minister's daughter is seduced. Characters included in the plot include a stuffed corpse which serves the post of Foreign Secretary.

Background

Eric Idle wrote ''Hello Sailor'', his first novel, in 1970. The book was first printed in 1975 hardcover by the London publishers of fiction,

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld a ...

. (subscription only) An article on

h2g2 The h2g2 website is a British-based collaborative online encyclopedia project. It describes itself as "an unconventional guide to life, the universe, and everything", in the spirit of the fictional publication ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to t ...

attributes the delay to Idle's distrust of the publishing industry. As a literary work from a highly notable performer, the novel was reviewed in ''

The Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication i ...

'' on 21 March 1975. The original hardcover book did not sell very well, but the book was reprinted the same year by Futura Publications. This paperpack issue of the novel was a moderate success. Though the book sold well, it remains one of Idle's lesser-known works, and is notable as the first published novel by a member of the

Monty Python Monty Python (also collectively known as the Pythons) were a British comedy troupe who created the sketch comedy television show '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'', which first aired on the BBC in 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four ...

team. (The second would be

Michael Palin Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries. Palin w ...

's ''Hemingway's Chair'', published in 1995.) Idle poked fun at the obscurity of his first novel in a review of Irish novelist,

Roddy Doyle Roddy Doyle (born 8 May 1958) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, eight books for children, seven plays and screenplays, and dozens of short stories. Several of his books have been ma ...

's ''

A Star Called Henry ''A Star Called Henry'' (1999) is a novel by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. It is Vol. 1 of '' The Last Roundup'' series. The second installment of the series, '' Oh, Play That Thing'', was published in 2004. The third, ''The Dead Republic'', was pu ...

'' (1999), writing of Doyle, "anyone who has read ''Hello Sailor'' (my first scurrilous novel published 22 years ago) deserves a plug." In an interview with ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' in 2002, Idle again made reference to the rarity of the book, quipping, "Worth quite a bit on the Internet, I hear." In his diary entry for 22 February 1975,

linked the novel with the dissolution of the Monty Python team. On the day of the diary entry, Idle visited Palin at his home, bringing him an autographed copy of the book. At his home, Idle informed Palin of his decision to leave the team. Palin noted that the novel as well as other solo work by Idle indicated that he was uncomfortable with the restraints the team and the series placed on his career. Idle, according to Palin, was "understandably anxious to shed his old Python Skin... he's moving on, like

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

did." A book of the same title was mentioned by Idle and Cleese in the Monty Python's Flying Circus episode "Sex and Violence" during "The Wrestling Epilogue" sketch, in which a humanist philosophy professor, author of a novel entitled "Hello Sailor," debates an Anglican monsignor over the existence of God in an officiated

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

match.

References

Reviews

* {{cite journal , date = 21 March 1975 , title = Hello Sailor (review) , journal=

, page = 293 , location = London Monty Python 1975 British novels Novels by Eric Idle British satirical novels British political novels Political satire novels Weidenfeld & Nicolson books English novels