A few years ago I stumbled across an old BBC radio interview,
or more accurately conversation, with writer Harry Patterson. It is from a
program called “Desert Island Discs”. The host is a smooth voiced man named Roy
Plomley, and it was broadcast December 18, 1981.
The conversation meanders across several topics,
including Mr. Patterson’s early life, military service, and writings. The talk
is done between short music pieces selected by Mr Patterson, and it includes a
nice mixture of jazz, big band, and classical. The music is
enjoyable, but the interview is a real treat.
A favorite moment is when Mr Patterson discusses his
fondness for a band leader named Al Bowlly. Mr Patterson wrote Bowlly, as a
background character, into his 1972 novel The
Savage Day. The Savage Day was Mr
Patterson’s first bestseller, and afterwards he included—at least through 1981—a
cameo for Al Bowlly in each of his novels for luck. A recurring character I
have never noticed.
A few interesting facts. The Eagle Has Landed was
translated into 43 languages, including Welsh. The Harry Patterson novels
published after The Eagle Has Landed—The Valhalla Exchange, and To Catch a King specifically—were
written for his American publisher Stein and Day and could not include the Jack
Higgins name, likely due to contractual issues. The book he would want on a
deserted island: The Four Quartets by
T. S. Eliot.
The interview runs approximately 48 minutes, and it is well worth a listen. Mr Patterson also appeared in a “Desert Island Discs” episode
broadcast March 5, 2006; unfortunately the online stream is currently
unavailable. It is also very much worth seeking out.
4 comments:
Thanks for the link. Gotta check this one out.
Just listened to it. Very interesting stuff.
Ben, thanks for the link to the interview. I'll check it out later today. I don't recall coming across Al Bowlly's character either.
the later interview is back up as of December 2019 at least. No mention in it of the earlier interview!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0093vr3
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