''Night and the City'' is the third novel by British author
Gerald Kersh
Gerald Kersh (26 August 1912– 5 November 1968) was a British and later also American writer of novels and short stories.
Biography
Born in 1912, Kersh began to write at the age of eight. After leaving school, he worked as, amongst other thing ...
, published in 1938. It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London but also deals with
social realism
Social realism is the term used for work produced by painters, printmakers, photographers, writers and filmmakers that aims to draw attention to the real socio-political conditions of the working class as a means to critique the power structure ...
themes in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
Plot
The protagonist of the novel is Harry Fabian, a morally reprehensible
pimp determined to become the top wrestling promoter in London.
During the course of the novel Fabian is embroiled in various unscrupulous money-making ventures. All those around him are treated as a means to an end without exception. However, while his acts of pimping, blackmail, promoting professional wrestling, and deception are successful, the proceeds of crime soon slip from his hands.
Eventually his world starts to come down around him. On one side the police are closing in; on the other those he has swindled come calling. Desperate and at rock bottom Harry will try anything to ensure he comes out on top.
Publication history
The novel was originally published by
Michael Joseph in 1938 and was the author's first successful novel. It was later republished, as a tie-in for the 1992 film version, by Brainiac Books in 1993.
In 2007 London Books republished it as part of their London Classics imprint. The reissue features an introduction by
John King, author of ''
The Football Factory''.
Film adaptations
The novel was
first filmed in 1950 by
Jules Dassin
Julius "Jules" Dassin (December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, whe ...
, who had directed ''
The Naked City
''The Naked City'' (aka ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American film noir directed by Jules Dassin, starring Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart and Don Taylor. The film, shot almost entirely on location in New York City, depicts the poli ...
'' two years earlier. The film was made in Britain, and the setting remains the London wrestling world, but the film departs greatly from the source novel. Later director Dassin told in an interview he hadn't read the novel. The movie starred
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark (December 26, 1914March 24, 2008) was an American film, stage, and television actor and producer.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, ''Kiss of Death'' (1947) ...
as Harry Fabian and is often thought a significant London ''
film noir''.
The film was
remade in 1992 with
Robert De Niro playing the lead role. It was directed and produced by
Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler (born May 28, 1931) is an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of over 58 motion pictures, dating back to 1967's '' Double Trouble'', starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, '' They Shoot ...
, known for ''
Guilty by Suspicion
''Guilty by Suspicion'' is a 1991 American drama film about the Hollywood blacklist, McCarthyism, and the activities of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Written and directed by Irwin Winkler, it stars Robert De Niro, Annette Bening, and ...
'', which also starred De Niro. The setting of the film was changed to the New York boxing world, and Harry Fabian is a lawyer. The film draws predominantly from the Dassin film rather than the source novel.
"''Night and the City''" by Roger Ebert
/ref>
References
External links
The Nights and Cities of Gerald Kersh
"Return of the East End Novel", ''The Guardian''
Review at Compulsive Reader
"Revival of Writer Who Sank into the Squalor of Soho", ''The Jewish Chronicle''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Night and the City
1938 British novels
British novels adapted into films
Great Depression novels
Novels set in London
Organized crime novels
Social realism
British thriller novels
Michael Joseph books