260:, which disgust him. His father also dies, leaving him four envelopes stuffed with money. Suzette has separated from Henley, but still seems uncertain as to whether she should resume her relationship with the narrator. The narrator decides to leave the country and find a place where racism doesn't exist. At the airport, he sees Africans arriving and gives them a warm welcome.
29:
438:. He is variously addressed in the book as "blitz baby", "kid", "teenager", "child", "infant prodigy" and "son": all terms that emphasise his youth. The majority of the other characters are given nicknames or referred to by their job titles, rather than by their real names.
215:
takes up half of the book and shows the narrator meeting up with various teenaged friends and some adults in various parts of London and discussing his outlook on life and the new concept of being a teenager. He also learns that his ex-girlfriend, Suzette, is to enter a
471:
The film used many of the characters of the book, but changed a lot of their motivations and the story's ending. It also made more use of the idea of older characters exploiting the young, which was merely hinted at in the novel.
273:
area; he makes most of his money by selling pornographic pictures, but is interested in having an exhibition of his other work. The name "Blitz Baby" was given to him by his mother, since he was born in a bunker during a blitz
421:
in the 1960s. MacInnes has the narrator use a very stylised form of speech. For example, when the narrator and Zesty-Boy talk about why
Vendice no longer uses Dido's newspaper for advertising, MacInnes writes it as:
495:, who was born in 1958, has described the novel as "a book of inspiration". This quote was used on the cover of the 1986 paperback edition. Weller also chose the book when he appeared on the
402:
Although MacInnes turned 44 in the summer of 1958, the book is written through the eyes of an 18-year-old, who is part of the new vibrant and affluent London youth culture of
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Verne – the 25-year-old half-brother of the narrator. He and the narrator do not have a great relationship, since they do not share the same ideals and butt heads about it.
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and prefers the company of her boarders to that of her second husband, the narrator's father. She has a stormy relationship with the narrator, who keeps a photographic
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is set on the narrator's 19th birthday. He sees this, symbolically, as the beginning of his last year as a teenager. He witnesses several incidents of
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428:"It may be that Dido's slipping, or the paper's slipping, or just that everything these days is falling in the fat laps of the jingle kings."
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The narrator is never given a name. When asked it by a girl at a party, he avoids the question. When pressed, he says, sarcastically,
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Big Jill – a lesbian in her 20s who lives in the basement flat of the narrator's building and who controls young, lesbian prostitutes.
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Mr. Cool – a young mixed-race man, born in London, who lives in the same building as the narrator and who is threatened by the local
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246:. His father is taken ill on the trip and has to be taken to a doctor. The narrator also finds Suzette at her husband's cottage in
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music, his love for his ex-girlfriend Crêpe
Suzette, the illness of his father, and simmering racial tensions in the summer of the
209:
The novel is divided into four sections. Each details a particular day in the four months that spanned the summer of 1958.
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with his father, has a violent encounter with Ed the Ted and watches
Hoplite's appearance on Call-Me-Cobber's TV show.
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and released in 1986. The narrator was given the name Colin, after Colin MacInnes, and was played by Eddie O'Connell.
465:
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The ex-Deb-of-Last-Year – a young, upper-class female friend of the narrator, who goes out with Call-me-Cobber.
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217:
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551:
426:"And why has Partner's pimpery taken their custom away from Dido's toilet-paper daily?" I asked Zesty-Boy.
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148:, written and set in 1958 London, England. It was published in 1959. The novel is the second of MacInnes'
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Crêpe
Suzette – the narrator's ex-girlfriend who behaves promiscuously and who intends to enter into a
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The narrator (Blitz Baby)– a teenage photographer who lives in an attic flat in a building in London's
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Writing 1950s London: Narrative
Strategies in Colin MacInnes's City of Spades and Absolute Beginners
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Historian Jerry White writes about the London of 'Absolute
Beginners' on the London Fictions website
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to tie in with the film's release. The cover showed O'Connell and Kensit in front of a stylised
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perspective of a teenage freelance photographer, who lives in a rundown yet vibrant part of
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and part of the
Knightsbridge-Chelsea set, who lives in the same building as the narrator.
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at the house as an excuse to visit his father. His father has been writing a book called
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Zesty-Boy Swift – an unsuccessful pop singer who became a highly successful songwriter.
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Henley – a gay fashion designer who claims to be 45 and who intends to marry
Suzette.
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430:"I wonder why Dido doesn't do a quick change and crash land in the telly casbah?"
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Mannie Katz – a poet friend of the narrator; married to Miriam and father of Saul.
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appeared as advertising man
Vendice Partners. Bowie also wrote and performed the
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and clothes. As such, it chronicles the first years of what would become the
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called 'Ron Todd' in a jazz club. In 1985 a real-life trade unionist called
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immigrants, as well as
English people on the margins of society, such as
162:(1960). These novels are each self-contained, with no shared characters.
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317:, and after a falling out, joins with the racist thugs during the riots.
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The themes of the novel are the narrator's opinions on the newly formed
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who has left his old gang and became part of a mob of racist hooligans.
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has the narrator and his father take a cruise along the Thames towards
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520:, recorded the song "Have You Ever Had It Blue?" for the 1986 film.
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Call-me-Cobber – an Australian media celebrity and presenter of the
516:" in 1981. It reached number 4 in the UK charts. His second band,
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with her boss, a middle-aged gay fashion designer called Henley.
468:, which reached number 2 in the UK singles chart in March 1986.
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194:
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Dean Swift – one of the narrator's pornographic models, a
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The Wizard – best friend of the narrator, a baby-faced
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he calls Napoli. The area is home to a large number of
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The novel was adapted into a musical film directed by
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223 pages (1st edition), & 208 pages (paperback)
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378:Vendice Partners – Dido's ex-lover who works at a
226:has the narrator taking photographs by the river
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372:The Misery Kid – a devotee of old-style jazz.
8:
21:
284:The narrator's parents – His mother runs a
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20:
386:The narrator also encounters a left-wing
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592:), Pub date 29 November 1973, paperback
729:"Desert Island Discs with Paul Weller"
394:became general secretary of the TGWU.
333:Wilf – Mr. Cool's white half-brother.
302:The Fabulous Hoplite – An occasional
7:
14:
813:British novels adapted into films
359:Dido Lament – a gossip columnist.
193:and its fixation on clothes and
677:2001, UK, Allison & Busby (
666:1992, UK, Allison & Busby (
610:1980, UK, Allison & Busby (
663:), 27 February 1986, paperback
230:, seeing the musical operetta
170:The novel is written from the
78:Print (hardback and paperback)
1:
475:The novel was republished by
369:, and a lover of modern jazz.
633:), September 1980, hardcover
16:1958 novel by Colin MacInnes
685:), 14 March 2001, paperback
648:), November 1985, paperback
577:), 12 April 1970, paperback
562:), February 1966, hardcover
349:Ed the Ted – a pasty-faced
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674:), 16 July 1992, paperback
512:released a single called "
445:
382:-based advertising agency.
132:Mr. Love and Justice
828:MacGibbon & Kee books
460:played Crêpe Suzette and
448:Absolute Beginners (film)
26:
823:Novels by Colin MacInnes
703:MacInnes, Colin (1980).
618:), March 1980, paperback
607:), March 1980, hardcover
533:, 1959, unknown binding
483:of the London skyline.
218:marriage of convenience
199:Notting Hill race riots
552:Hutchinson Educational
491:The singer-songwriter
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424:
808:Novels set in London
737:. 16 December 2007.
538:Macmillan Publishers
160:Mr. Love and Justice
122:City of Spades
818:Novels about racism
803:Fiction set in 1958
793:1959 British novels
734:Desert Island Discs
597:Allison & Busby
531:MacGibbon & Kee
502:Desert Island Discs
410:music, and Italian
51:MacGibbon & Kee
33:First edition cover
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22:Absolute Beginners
705:Absolute Beginners
514:Absolute Beginners
406:, modern jazz and
330:to leave the area.
299:for several years.
186:and drug addicts.
158:(1958) and before
141:Absolute Beginners
760:Absolute MacInnes
714:978-0-85031-330-7
683:978-0-7490-0540-5
672:978-0-7490-0165-0
661:978-0-14-002142-4
646:978-0-525-48189-8
631:978-0-8052-8039-5
616:978-0-85031-330-7
605:978-0-85031-329-1
590:978-0-586-03770-6
575:978-0-345-21917-6
560:978-0-09-077220-9
547:, 1961, paperback
540:, 1960, hardcover
518:The Style Council
436:David Copperfield
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97:978-0-7490-0540-5
67:Publication place
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254:In September
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166:Introduction
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543:1961, USA,
536:1960, USA,
497:BBC Radio 4
493:Paul Weller
487:Paul Weller
462:David Bowie
404:coffee bars
184:homosexuals
176:West London
99:(paperback)
787:Categories
690:References
651:1986, UK,
636:1985, UK,
621:1980, UK,
595:1980, UK,
580:1973, UK,
565:1970, UK,
550:1966, UK,
529:1959, UK,
508:His group
499:programme
481:silhouette
466:title song
419:subculture
340:chat show
328:teddy boys
264:Characters
545:Ace Books
351:teddy boy
342:Junction!
311:sociopath
240:In August
180:Caribbean
47:Publisher
412:scooters
392:Ron Todd
290:darkroom
274:bombing.
112:45648228
743:Radio 4
582:Panther
510:The Jam
380:Mayfair
304:rentboy
296:Pimlico
248:Cookham
224:In July
213:In June
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367:junkie
228:Thames
39:Author
398:Style
83:Pages
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627:ISBN
612:ISBN
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556:ISBN
315:pimp
195:jazz
106:OCLC
92:ISBN
62:1959
739:BBC
416:mod
338:ITV
271:W10
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