I lived in Europe for 15 years. During this period I worked at the publishing house Jonathan Cape as an editor. I was subsequently appointed Editorial Manager. Among the many authors I edited were John Fowles, Edna O’Brien, Ronald Harwood, Arnold Wesker, C. Day Lewis, and A.W. Lawrence (T.E Lawrence’s brother). I also edited Derek Walcott’s first volume of poetry, two novels by Claude Simon, and Alan Paton’s book of short stories, Debbie Go Home. Simon and Walcott eventually won Nobel Prizes for Literature.

I was also a contributor to a number of magazines and reviewed for the Sunday Times and the Times Literary Supplement.

I left publishing for ABC-TV (renamed Thames-TV) and ran Armchair Theatre which was an anthology drama series comparable to Playhouse 90 & American Playhouse. I  was responsible for a 105 hours of network television. I discovered and commissioned a number of then unknown writers: Tom Stoppard, Alan Ayckbourn, Charles Wood, and the late Dennis Potter.

When I had a breakthrough with my novel Seventh Avenue, I was able to devote myself to writing full time. Along the way, I wrote, rewrote, and script-doctored a significant number of entirely forgettable films. I will never write another film!

My first theatre play, “The Waiters”, was produced and directed by Giles Havergal who recently had Graham Greene’s “Travels With My Aunt” on at the Minetta Theatre in New York. Giles is artistic director of the Glasgow Theater.

 My TV play “The Match” was directed by Don Leaver  for Thames-TV. Don produced the first “Prime Suspect” and is now directing and producing the “Inspector Frost” series. I wrote the screenplay for  “Privilege”, the first film (now a cult piece) dealing with pop music which won a variety of film festival awards. It was directed by Peter Watkins who won an Oscar for “The War Game”.