Product Description

This is a major new launch for the paperback edition of the most original, captivating and award-winning memoir of the year. "Stuart, A Life Backwards", is the story of a remarkable friendship between a reclusive writer and illustrator ('a middle class scum ponce, if you want to be honest about it, Alexander) and a chaotic, knife-wielding beggar whom he gets to know during a campaign to release two charity workers from prison. Interwoven into this is Stuart's confession: the story of his life, told backwards. With humour, compassion (and exasperation) Masters slowly works back through post-office heists, prison riots and the exact day Stuart discovered violence, to unfold the reasons why he changed from a happy-go-lucky little boy into a polydrug-addicted-alcoholic Jekyll and Hyde personality, with a fondness for what he called 'little strips of silver' (knives to you and me). Funny, despairing, brilliantly written and full of surprises: this is the most original and moving biography of recent years.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2164 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Review
From the reviews of Stuart: 'Unique and wonderful' Daily Mail 'This is a very rare and haunting book ... A great first book' Andrew O'Hagan 'Good books like this appear about once every five years. It's been years since I've been so delighted by a book and so surprised by it ! When I'd finished I felt bereft, as if I'd lost an old friend' Zadie Smith 'I feel so strongly about this strange, funny, sad book that I hardly know where to begin ! My enthusiasm feels almost limitless. A page-turner' Observer 'Funny and original, a startling book ! By the end I was doubled up in tears, but throughout I was often doubled up with laughter. It is dazzling' Vogue 'A remarkable biography. Unforgettably moving. A gripping read' Tim Lott, Sunday Times 'With his first book, Alexander Masters ! has achieved something remarkable. He has, without patronising, given a voice to the "underclass"; at the same time, without preaching, he shows us the value of even the most damaged of human lives ! a powerful book, humane, instructive and entirely original' Sunday Telegraph

Daily Mail
'Stuart Shorter bursts off every page of this extraordinary book'

Sunday Telegraph
'A moving, sad, witty book'

Customer Reviews

If time could go backwards for Stuart...
... and if it were possible against the very impossibility of such an occurrence, I would have loved to change the epilogue of this book. Not just the epilogue, but so much else in between. And not because it's a badly written book, just the opposite. I believe that the author was able to capture the very essence of his friend Stuart Shorter and at the same time convey a strong message about the vulnerability of the innocent. It is a book about a man who suffered greatly throughout his life and as a result ended up on the streets.

What Alexander Masters extrapolates from Stuart is a remarkable, incredible tale of a life lived on the edge at all times. Sometimes a river of words flow out of him. Sometimes they elude him (especially when recounting the worst parts of his life). But the author manages to get to the bottom of most of it and the reading is harrowing. And yet, despite all his terrible sufferings, drug abuse and physical problems, during some passages Stuart's humour got to me. Brief insights about life. One for all (on the mysteries of washing-machines): "I mean, you put ten socks in the machine and only seven come out, where DO they go?...And I'll tell you another thing, if you take the machine apart they ain't inside it neither." (how true!). To see that despite everything he is still able to smile conveys such... sweetness. Unfortunately, it is soon obliterated by other terrible details of his life. Still, I hope that opening up with the author after the initial reservations was somewhat therapeutic for Stuart.

The book structure is original, dotted by drawings, writings and some pictures. Stuart's voice comes out strong. The author often closes a chapter with a new, revealing detail and a compelling need to find out more. This quickly leads the reader to the next chapter.
Frustration and outrage over some details and circumstances made me swallow twice but I am glad I have read this book and made the acquaintance of Stuart Shorter. Books like these are eye-openers and rattle consciences.

"Alexander, sort it out - you're the writer. I just done the living.". A quote from page zero, which really touched me.

Should be in every school
When I was at school in the 90s homelessness was a rather trendy topic and the drama club were forever putting on wincingly awful plays about living in 'Cardboard City'. (Yes, it was as horrific as it sounds.)

That experience put me off thinking about the homeless in any great detail since, so I can only thank Alexander Masters for doing such a wonderful, wonderful job of making me care. Because we should, shouldn't we?

Just one other thing - someone mentioned that Stuart's dialogue was not 'street' enough and a bit too Guardian reader. As a former linguist and professional writer, I thought it was fantastic (and could prove why if this was that kind of forum). As were the drawings!

Don't listen to them, Alex - you've written a genuine classic.

A Life Backwards
I purchased this book after watching its dramatisation on the television. Despite the subject matter, the programme had made me laugh out loud throughout and I became curious about the book.

Reading reviews of this shortly after the programme aired, I found a number that appeared as if the reviewers had not actually read the book, only watched the programme, of which they were very critical. How strange I thought. In my experience adaptations of books are often lacking, due to time restrictions and scheduling, so to judge a book solely on this, seemed, in my opinion, a little unfair.

The book sat on my bedside table for a good few months, because of other commitments. Picking it up, I tried to remind myself why I had wanted to read it. Stuart was, to be quite frank, the type of person I would cross the street to avoid; homeless, alcoholic, drug addict, violent, self harmer, a thief, psychopathic. He can reel off the names of all the prisons he has been in on request, tell you the best way to get into prison and the best way to get out of prison, the best way to steal a car, oh and once he dangled his baby son out of a window.

Stuart and the author Alexander Masters became friends during a campaign to release two charity workers Ruth Wyner and John Brock, from prison. Together they would talk to groups about the campaign, what had happened and what needed to be done to fee the pair. Then Stuart would talk about his life.

Alexander agrees to write Stuarts biography and after two years work, Stuart is shown a draft which he immediately pronounces to be 'bollocks boring'. He's after a bestseller `like what Tom Clancy writes.'

Stuart suggests that the book be written backwards.

In this way, both author and reader discover what has led Stuart's life to turn out the way it has. It is a disturbing tale. Is Stuart's behaviour excusable because of what has happened to him, I am not sure. Is Stuart's behaviour understandable because of what happened to him - absolutely.

Touching, engaging, thought provoking and very very funny - I loved this book.