Night and the City (novel)
Encyclopedia
Night and the City is the third novel by British
author Gerald Kersh
, published in 1938. It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London but also deals with social realism
themes in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
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 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.
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
.
in 1950 by Jules Dassin
, notable for directing The Naked City
two years earlier. The setting is still the London wrestling world, but the film departs greatly from the source novel. It starred Richard Widmark
as Harry Fabian and is widely considered a great 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
, notable for Guilty by Suspicion
, which also starred De Niro. The setting of the film cas been 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.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
author Gerald Kersh
Gerald Kersh
Gerald Kersh was a British writer. Born in 1911, he began to write at the age of 8. After leaving school he worked as, amongst other things, a cinema manager, bodyguard, debt collector, fish & chip cook, travelling salesman, French teacher and all-in-wrestler whilst attempting to 'make it' as a...
, published in 1938. It is a crime thriller set in 1930s London but also deals with social realism
Social realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
themes in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
Plot
The protagonist of the novel is Harry Fabian, a morally reprehensible spivSpiv
In the United Kingdom, a spiv is a particular type of petty criminal, who deals in stolen or black market goods of questionable authenticity, especially a slickly-dressed man offering goods at bargain prices...
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 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
John King
-Politics:*John King, 1st Baron Kingston , Irish peer*John King, 3rd Baron Kingston , Irish peer*John King, 2nd Baron King , English MP and peer...
, author of The Football Factory
The Football Factory (novel)
The Football Factory is a novel by John King. The book follows a group of working class English men who support Chelsea F.C. and indulge in football hooliganism. The principal character/narrator is Tommy Johnson, with vignettes from minor characters interspersed throughout the novel...
.
Film adaptations
The novel was first filmedNight and the City
Night and the City is a film noir based on the novel by Gerald Kersh, directed by Jules Dassin, and starring Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney. Shot on location in London, the plot evolves around an ambitious hustler whose plans keep going wrong....
in 1950 by Jules Dassin
Jules Dassin
Julius "Jules" Dassin , was an American film director, with Jewish-Russian origins. He was a subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, and subsequently moved to France where he revived his career.-Early life:...
, notable for directing The Naked City
The Naked City
The Naked City is a 1948 black-and-white film noir directed by Jules Dassin. The movie, shot partially in documentary style, was filmed on location on the streets of New York City, featuring landmarks such as the Williamsburg Bridge the Whitehall Building and an apartment building on West 83rd...
two years earlier. The setting is still the London wrestling world, but the film departs greatly from the source novel. It starred Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
as Harry Fabian and is widely considered a great London film noir.
The film was remade
Night and the City (1992 film)
Night and the City is a 1992 remake of the 1950 film noir of the same name, itself an adaptation of Gerald Kersh's novel of the same name. The film stars Robert De Niro and Jessica Lange and is directed by Irwin Winkler from a script by Richard Price....
in 1992 with Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
playing the lead role. It was directed and produced by Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler
Irwin Winkler is an American film producer and director. He is the producer or director of 50 major motion pictures, dating back to 1967's Double Trouble, starring Elvis Presley. The fourth film he produced, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? , starring Jane Fonda, was nominated for nine Academy Awards...
, notable for Guilty by Suspicion
Guilty by Suspicion
Guilty by Suspicion is a 1991 film about the Hollywood blacklist and associated activities stemming from McCarthyism and the House Un-American Activities Committee...
, which also starred De Niro. The setting of the film cas been 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.
External links
- Gerald Kersh bio at London Books
- The Nights and Cities of Gerald Kersh
- "Return of the East End Novel", The Guardian
- "Wide Boys Always Work" by Robert Bond at Literary London
- Review at Compulsive Reader
- "Best Books of 2007", The Independent
- "Revival of Writer Who Sank into the Squalor of Soho", The Jewish Chronicle