:''Albert Angelo may also refer to the former mayor of

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

.'' ''Albert Angelo'' is the second novel written by the experimental novelist

B. S. Johnson Bryan Stanley William Johnson (5 February 1933 – 13 November 1973) was an English experimental novelist, poet and literary critic. He also produced television programmes and made films. Early life Johnson was born into a working-class family, ...

(1933–1973). Published in 1964 by

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

(and reissued in 1987 by New Directions), the book achieved fame for having holes cut in several pages as a narrative technique. It is written in an unusual and pioneering style, frequently changing from

first-person narrative A first-person narrative is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from their own point of view using the first person It may be narrated by a first-person protagonist (or other focal character), first-person re-teller, ...

to third-person commentary, and often descending into

stream-of-consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First Li ...

interior monologue In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. The term was coined by Daniel Oliver in 1840 in ''First Li ...

. Like many of Johnson's novels it is an auto-biographical work.

Plot

''Albert Angelo'' tells the story of Albert Angelo, a substitute teacher who longs to be a professional architect. He has had to resort to teaching to make ends meet, as he is not an accomplished enough architect to make a living from it. Living in a flat in

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, he finds himself teaching in increasingly tougher schools, and part of the story concerns his struggle with difficult pupils in class, mirroring Albert's struggle with life in general. Through the reproduction of some of their essays, we also learn the pupils' opinions of Albert and their attitudes towards him, which are often hilarious. Albert devotes much thought to his ex-girlfriend Jenny, with whom he is still very much in love and who he feels betrayed him. He reminisces about her frequently. His friend Terry, whom he accompanies to late-night cafes, was also 'betrayed' by a woman, and their friendship is built upon this common experience. The story is at times humorous and at others incredibly serious. As is usual in a Johnson novel

sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...

is openly and frankly discussed. Johnson's writing technique allows us to view Albert's character from many angles.

Style

As mentioned, the book is written in an unorthodox style. This is typical of Johnson, though it is not uniform throughout his books. ''Albert Angelo'' is divided into several parts, ending with a

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

, normally used in musical score. Several of the pages have holes cut into them, allowing the reader to glimpse events further ahead in the story. The book closes with an intervention by the author, explaining what he was trying to achieve in writing it. In this section is Johnson's unshakeable belief recorded - ''Telling stories is telling lies.''

References in other works

Brian Castro Brian Albert Castro (born 16 January 1950) is an Australian novelist and essayist. Biography Castro was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Australia since 1961. He was Chair of Creative Writing (2008-2019) at the University of Adelaide and Di ...

's 1994 novel ''Drift'', (which is Castro's answer to B.S. Johnson's invitation to his readers to complete ''The Matrix Trilogy'' of which ''

See the Old Lady Decently See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

'' (1975) is the first book) the character B.S. (Byron Shelly) Johnson, has his copy of ''Albert Angelo'' confiscated by the Australian Customs authorities because "''there were holes cut in the pages and they wanted to view the excisions''".(

, ''Drift'', Wakefield Press, 2011, p149)

External links

An essay on ''Albert Angelo'' at ''Literary London''Information about ''Albert Angelo'' at bsjohnson.info
{{B. S. Johnson

References

1964 British novels English novels Novels set in London Constable & Co. books First-person narrative novels Second-person narrative novels Third-person narrative novels Stream of consciousness novels