Book Review: Circus of Dreams remembers the heady days of the 1980s

Heady days when writers went from glum to downright sexy

John Walsh: His appetite for celebrity gossip and keen understanding of the business moves behind invention of literary stars. Picture: Bryony Shearmur

Back in the early 1980s, John Walsh and I were both part of the London literary scene at a time when book launches were being reinvented as parties where people drank too much and exchanged lively gossip about writers, publishers, publicity girls (as they were called), and other journalists.

As a newcomer, I was always glad to see the tall, rumpled Walsh among the crowd, inevitably smiling, eager to confide some choice item of book-related news. My first novel had been published by Hamish Hamilton, and we were both freelance reviewers, often writing for the same publications.