''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is the first novel by British author

Alan Sillitoe Alan Sillitoe Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, FRSL (4 March 192825 April 2010) was an English writer and one of the so-called "angry young men" of the 1950s. He disliked the label, as did most of the other writers to whom it was appl ...

and won the

Author's Club First Novel Award The Authors' Club Best First Novel Award is awarded by the Authors' Club to the most promising first novel of the year, written by a British author and published in the UK during the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is presented. ...

. It was adapted by Sillitoe into the 1960 film of the same name starring

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...

, directed by Karel Reisz, and in 1964 was adapted by

David Brett David Brett is an English actor, singer and arranger. He was one of the original members of The Flying Pickets, and arranged a number of the group's songs, including the number one hit '' Only You''. His work as an actor, mainly on stage, has ...

as a play for the

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and Fr ...

, with

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...

playing one of his first leading roles. Sillitoe later wrote three further parts to the Seatons' story, '' Key to the Door'' (1961), '' The Open Door'' (1989) and ''Birthday'' (2001).

Plot

The novel ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' is split into two unequal parts: the bulk of the book, Saturday Night, and the much smaller second part, Sunday Morning. Saturday Night Saturday Night begins in a working man's club in Nottingham. Arthur Seaton is 22 years old, and enjoying a night out with Brenda, the wife of a colleague at work. Challenged to a drinking contest, Arthur defeats "Loudmouth" before falling down the stairs drunk. Brenda takes him home with her and they spend the night together. Arthur enjoys breakfast with Brenda before her husband Jack gets home from a weekend at the races. Arthur works at a lathe at a bicycle factory with his friend Jack. Arthur keeps his mind occupied during the mundane and repetitive work through a mental collage of imagined fantasies, and memories of the past. He earns a good wage of 14 pounds a week, and Robboe, his superior, fears he may get in trouble for letting Arthur earn so much. Soon Arthur hears the news that Jack has been switched to nights, which pleases Arthur as he can now spend more time with Jack's wife. At the same time, Arthur carries on with Brenda's sister Winnie. During another night out at the pub, Arthur meets Doreen, a young unmarried girl with whom he begins a relatively innocent courtship — all the while keeping Brenda and Winnie a secret. However, although Jack is oblivious to his wife's infidelity, Winnie's husband Bill catches on — and Arthur's actions catch up with him when Bill and an accomplice jump Arthur one night, leaving him beaten and bed-ridden for days. Sunday Morning Sunday Morning follows the course of events after Arthur's assault. When Doreen comes to check up on him, Arthur finally comes clean about his affairs with Brenda and Winnie. Doreen stays in a relationship with Arthur despite his dishonesty; Brenda and Winnie disappear from the story. By the end of the novel, Arthur and Doreen have made plans to marry.

Cultural references

* Miranda Grey in John Fowles's '' The Collector'' (1963) found the book and its protagonist Arthur Seaton "disgusting". * English singer

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

was heavily influenced by the book and its 1960 film adaptation. The runout groove on the B-side of vinyl copies of The Smiths' 1986 album '' The Queen Is Dead'' feature the line "Them was rotten days" said by Aunt Ada (Hylda Baker) in the film. Also the line said by Doreen before Arthur takes her to the fair "I want to go where there's life and there's people" inspired the song " There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" on the same album ("I want to see people and I want to see life"). * The title of Arctic Monkeys' debut album ''

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not ''Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006 by Domino Recording Company and on 21 February 2006 in the United States. The album includes their firs ...

'' is a direct quote from the book, and many of its songs were inspired by the protagonist Arthur. The art design of the album was influenced by the realist images of British working-class neighbourhoods and night life in ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning''. * During a 2011 BBC interview on '' Desert Island Discs'', the comedian

Frank Skinner Christopher Graham Collins (born 28 January 1957), professionally known as Frank Skinner, is an English comedian, actor, presenter and writer. At the 2001 British Comedy Awards, he was named Best Comedy Entertainment Personality. His televisio ...

stated that ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' was the first book he read at the age of 21. * In 2013, BBC Radio 4 presented a two-part dramatic adaptation (by Robert Rigby) of the novel.

Cast

as Arthur Seaton * Shirley Anne Field as Doreen * Rachel Roberts as Brenda *

Hylda Baker Hylda Baker (4 February 1905 – 1 May 1986) was an English comedian, actress and music hall performer. Born and brought up in Farnworth, Lancashire, she is perhaps best remembered for her role as Nellie Pledge in the Granada ITV sitcom ''N ...

as Aunt Ada *

Norman Rossington Norman Rossington (24 December 1928 – 21 May 1999) was an English actor best remembered for his roles in ''The Army Game'', the ''Carry On'' films and the Beatles' film '' A Hard Day's Night''. Early life Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, ...

as Bert * Robert Cawdron as Robboe *Edna Morris as Mrs. Bull *Elsie Wagstaff as Mrs. Seaton * Frank Pettitt as Mr. Seaton *

Avis Bunnage Avis Bunnage (22 April 1923, Ardwick, Manchester – 4 October 1990, Thorpe Bay, Southend-on-Sea) was an English actress of film, stage and television. She attended Manley Park Municipal School and Chorlton Central School in Manchester. She ...

as Blousy Women * Colin Blakely as Loudmouth *Louise Dunn as Betty * John Barrett as Man in Cafe (Uncredited) * Peter Sallis as Man in Suit (Uncredited) *Michael Sillitoe as Drummer in Pub (Uncredited) *

Jack Smethurst John Smethurst (9 April 1932 – 16 February 2022) was an English television and film comic actor. He was best known for his role as Eddie Booth in the British television sitcom ''Love Thy Neighbour''. Early life Smethurst was born on 9 April ...

as Waiter (Uncredited) * Roy Spencer as Onlooker (Uncredited)

Critical reception

On 5 November 2019, ''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

'' included ''Saturday Night and Sunday Morning'' on its list of the 100 most influential novels.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saturday Night And Sunday Morning 1958 British novels Novels about adultery British novels adapted into films Novels by Alan Sillitoe Novels set in Nottingham Social realism 1958 debut novels W. H. Allen & Co. books