Getting Carter
Ted Lewis and the Birth of Brit Noir
Published on 25. October 2017
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-84344-882-2 (ISBN)
Description
Longlisted for the 2018 CWA Non Fiction Dagger
The story of Ted Lewis carries historical and cultural resonances for our own troubled times
Get Carter are two words to bring a smile of fond recollection to all British film lovers of a certain age.
The cinema classic was based on a book called Jack's Return Home, and many commentators agree contemporary British crime writing began with that novel. The influence of both book and film is strong to this day, reflected in the work of David Peace, Jake Arnott and a host of contemporary crime & noir authors. But what of the man who wrote this seminal work?
Ted Lewis is one of the most important writers you've never heard of. Born in Manchester in 1940, he grew up in the tough environs of post-war Humberside, attending Hull College of Arts and Crafts before heading for London. His life described a cycle of obscurity to glamour and back to obscurity, followed by death at only 42. He sampled the bright temptations of sixties London while working in advertising, TV and films and he encountered excitement and danger in Soho drinking dens, rubbing shoulders with the 'East End boys' in gangland haunts. He wrote for Z Cars and had some nine books published. Alas, unable to repeat the commercial success of Get Carter, Lewis's life fell apart, his marriage ended and he returned to Humberside and an all too early demise.
Getting Carter is a meticulously researched and riveting account of the career of a doomed genius. Long-time admirer Nick Triplow has fashioned a thorough, sympathetic and unsparing narrative. Required reading for noirists, this book will enthral and move anyone who finds irresistible the old cocktail of rags to riches to rags.
The story of Ted Lewis carries historical and cultural resonances for our own troubled times
Get Carter are two words to bring a smile of fond recollection to all British film lovers of a certain age.
The cinema classic was based on a book called Jack's Return Home, and many commentators agree contemporary British crime writing began with that novel. The influence of both book and film is strong to this day, reflected in the work of David Peace, Jake Arnott and a host of contemporary crime & noir authors. But what of the man who wrote this seminal work?
Ted Lewis is one of the most important writers you've never heard of. Born in Manchester in 1940, he grew up in the tough environs of post-war Humberside, attending Hull College of Arts and Crafts before heading for London. His life described a cycle of obscurity to glamour and back to obscurity, followed by death at only 42. He sampled the bright temptations of sixties London while working in advertising, TV and films and he encountered excitement and danger in Soho drinking dens, rubbing shoulders with the 'East End boys' in gangland haunts. He wrote for Z Cars and had some nine books published. Alas, unable to repeat the commercial success of Get Carter, Lewis's life fell apart, his marriage ended and he returned to Humberside and an all too early demise.
Getting Carter is a meticulously researched and riveting account of the career of a doomed genius. Long-time admirer Nick Triplow has fashioned a thorough, sympathetic and unsparing narrative. Required reading for noirists, this book will enthral and move anyone who finds irresistible the old cocktail of rags to riches to rags.
Reviews / Votes
LATE crime writer Lewis wrote Jack's Return Home, famously filmed as Get Carter with Michael Caine. These reissues of his less well-known work show what a talent he was. They capture the sleaze and violence of 60s London and the dark underbelly of the provinces. Jack Carter's Law is a prequel, with Jack hunting a gang informer and dangerously sleeping with his boss's wife. Billy Rags is Billy Cracken, a violent prisoner determined to see his kid. No heroes here, just compelling tales of bleak lives * SJC, The Sun * Yes, I can recommend reading this book, although it is a trifle depressing thinking what might have been for Ted Lewis -- Mark Timlin Getting Carter includes plenty of wonderful detail about the making of the film... there is much more to Lewis than this cult movie, as Triplow makes clear -- David Collard * Times Literary Supplement * [Triplow] is the kind of rigorous biographer Lewis deserves, and Getting Carter is an essential read -- Ray Banks * Noir City * Triplow does a fine job of demonstrating why Lewis's work should be rediscovered -- Jake Kerridge * Daily Telegraph *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bedford Square Publishers
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
Work includes 8 pages of full colour illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-84344-882-2 (9781843448822)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
03/2021
No Exit Press
€44.75
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Additional editions
E-Book
10/2017
No Exit Press
€6.99
Available for download
Person
Nick Triplow is the author of the south London crime novel Frank's Wild Years and the social history books The Women They Left Behind, Distant Water and Pattie Slappers. His acclaimed short story, Face Value, was a winner in the 2015 Northern Crime competition. Originally from London, now living in Barton upon Humber, Nick studied English and Creative Writing at Middlesex University and, in 2007, earned a distinction at Sheffield Hallam University's MA in Creative Writing. Since completing his biography of British noir pioneer, Ted Lewis, Nick has been working on new fiction.