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Saturday Night and Sunday Morning – published in 1958
Alan Sillitoe was born in 1928 in the manufacturing City of Nottingham.The workers of that industrial place were to be the inspiration for many of his works.
Alan Sillitoe came to live in Mallorca on the back of a Military Pension like many other artists and writers of the time. The Americans were here courtesy of the GI Bill which funded servicemen and women’s education after the war. This meant they could choose to work in Europe and have their pension sent monthly to the nearest Post Office. That was the same for Alan Sillitoe and many others. He was invalided out of the RAF owing to tuberculosis and he headed for warmer climes. He started his European adventure in Provence in the South of France. As his money dwindled he moved to Mallorca where the cost of living at the time was cheaper.
Alan Sillitoe became one of the Deia set which included Robert Graves. He himself lived in Soller with his wife – the American poet – Ruth Fairlight. It was with Graves encouragement that Alan Sillitoe gave voice to the ‘Angry young man’ within him who tackled issues of the time including the lack of opportunity for the working class.’Saturday night and Sunday Morning’ was highly acclaimed as a force of social realism.
Alan Sillitoe is remembered as a hard up writer in the Hidden Valley and many who helped him out were glad when he eventually found success in his writing. Success gave him money to settle back in the UK with his family but he often mentioned his memories of Soller in subsequent writings.
Alan Sillitoe is one of many writers who found their moment in Soller.
He died in 2010.
There are many authors who live in the Soller Valley some of their works can be seen on this link and purchased Via Amazon.
http://www.sollerweb.com/books.html
