Keith Waterhouse

nearly man. His debut novel was reasonably successful; his second was turned down as being too like the first. Thanks to procrastination and heavy drinking, he has published nothing since. Settled now in Brighton, where he ekes out a living running a market bric-a-brac stall, Duffy dreams of the blurred decades that seem to have slipped through his fingers: where did it all go wrong? But during one confusing weekend, on the opening days of the Brighton Literary Festival, everything looks set to change. Lurching through the razzmatazz of stilt-walkers, mime artists and unicyclists, Duffy learns of the existence of a long-lost manuscript by a famous novelist, now dead, and resolves to get hold of it, pass it off as his own and thus give his wilted career a kick-start. Unfortunately, little in Duffy s disordered life ever runs smoothly, particularly on this crowded weekend ...

Captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small town. This title tells the story of Billy Fisher, a Yorkshire teenager unable to stop lying - especially to his three girlfriends

The classic comedy of a 50s youth trapped inside a Walter Mitty fantasy-world, published as a Penguin Essential for the first time. Keith Waterhouse's Billy Liar was published in 1959, and captures brilliantly the claustrophobic atmosphere of a small town. It tells the story of Billy Fisher, a Yorkshire teenager unable to stop lying - especially to his three girlfriends. Trapped by his boring job and working-class parents, Billy finds that his only happiness lies in grand plans for his future and fantastical day-dreams of the fictional country Ambrosia.

Mi madre gritaba desde abajo: " ¿ Billy? ¡Billy! ¿ Té estas levantando? " , Tercera llamada de una serie muy arraigada de gritos como los de vendedores ambulantes que iban desde: "¿Estas despiertan, Billy?" a "Son las nueve y cuarto y, por mí, como si té quedas todo el día en la cama ", lo que significaba que eran las nueve menos veinte y era hora de levantarse...