Michael is a well known and highly regarded author and long standing resident of Primrose Hill. He is also a popular figure in the Primrose Hill community. He was born in Cheshire. He used to write for his university newspapers called Varsity and Broadsheet whilst studying at Jesus College, Cambridge. Here is his response to my questionnaire.
- When did you first start living in Primrose Hill?
I moved here in late 1985. I was fortunate to be able to buy a flat just before the property boom of the late 1980s. I lived on Regent’s Park Road for more than thirty years and have now moved to Gloucester Avenue.
- What have been your highlights about living in Primrose Hill?
Friends; fireworks; St Mark’s church; restaurants (Manna in its glory days); community shops (the late lamented Sesame); and the Hill itself, particularly in autumn.
- What made you decide to become a writer?
I had a fractured childhood and, looking back, I suspect that I wished to create my own worlds, both to escape and to understand the world in which I was living. I wrote stories from an early age. Not long ago, an old friend reminded me that, at prep school, I wrote a ‘novel’ entitled The Stone that Missed, which has, thankfully, vanished and of which I have only the dimmest recollection – although the fact that he remembers it suggests that I bragged about it shamelessly.
- Do you prefer writing fiction or non-fiction books?
I’ve never written a non-fiction book, which I trust answers your question.
- Which is your favourite book that you have written and why?
I’m tempted to say the one I’ve just delivered to my publishers, because I like to think I’m still improving. Instead, I’ll hedge my bets and opt for Of Men and Angels, which explores the biblical myth of Lot in Sodom and its influence on five historical periods and five artistic forms, and The Enemy of the Good, which depicts a mixed-faith English family torn apart by fundamentalism. Both are subjects dear to my heart and I trust that I found characters and plots rich enough for what I wanted to convey.
- Which of your books that you have written is the most popular amongst your readers and why?
Easter has been my best seller and, indeed, remains my only bestseller! It received a lot of publicity on publication as ‘the novel that will rock the Church of England.’ The Church seems to have survived and the novel continues to build an enthusiastic readership.
- Which is your favourite play that you have written and why?
I wasn’t an accomplished playwright – in part, I suspect, because I dislike conflict, which is central to drama although not to fiction. My radio plays had greater success, and two have recently been repeated on Radio Four Extra. But as I never read (or listen) to any of my work after publication (or broadcast), I wouldn’t be able to choose a favourite. I’ve written only one play in the past thirty years, Magda, about Magda Goebbels in Hitler’s bunker. It has been performed in Russia and Eastern Europe, but theatre directors told me it would be too controversial here.
- What are the benefits of living in Primrose Hill?
Having moved here from the country and never lived elsewhere in London, it’s hard for me to make worthwhile comparisons. I have mobility issues and so don’t walk about as much as I once did. The area has always felt quiet and friendly. It is relatively central. I’m told that, situated between Regent’s Park and Hampstead Heath, the air quality here is among the best in London. I’ve always felt safe.
- As a resident what do you perceive as being the problems of living in Primrose Hill?
Although, as I said, I go out and about far less than I did, I find the ‘village’ atmosphere of thirty years ago has dissipated. Primrose Hill has become a brand and there are too many people eager to exploit it. So cafes and restaurants have replaced local shops. Property prices have soared and predatory developers have moved in, such as those seeking to build penthouses on the roofs of Darwin Court, where I live, to the huge detriment of both the residents and the neighbourhood.
- If you were not working as a writer and critic what do you think you would be working as?
Having just had to pay an eye watering sum to have a new radiator installed, I’d like to say ‘a plumber’, but I can’t imagine being anything other than a writer. If I hadn’t had any success, I suspect that I’d be unemployed, living in a garret, surrounded by towers of unpublished manuscripts.
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