Autobiographical

It was now July 1988, I was beginning to despair of a future surrounded by anguished and aggressive customers at a book store whose boss Christina Foyle treated employees alike with disdain and not an iota of compassion. However, a top single that month The Only Way Is Up by Yazz and the Plastic Population was to reflect the next couple of years. I was walking down the street one day when I heard a friendly voice exclaim “Basil”. It turned around to see that it was David Rowson. I have seen him on a couple of occasions since then. David is now Director of Academic Services at Risepoint. He always rose to the top and deservedly so.

He told me that he was quitting a publishing house located nearby and recommended that I apply to an ad recently posted in the British daily The Guardian. Known at the time as Europa Publications, it subsequently became part of Taylor & Francis/Routledge. I did and was hired. I am grateful for the good words David put in for me. I am sure that played the main part in my appointment. I fit in mostly amongst the other young graduates taking it easy in their first real job. Admittedly, I left like a right idiot when I turned up on my first day in a suit whereas everyone there was wearing casual clothes, mostly jeans. That feeling soon passed with the welcoming drinks in the bar, handily located round the corner. I would not be the last to fall for that trick.

The biggest challenge was one I had not even contemplated when assigned the position of assistant editor on an annual directory where the actual work did not require that much effort: Known as World of Learning, it was a listing of all the academic institutions and museums in every country. I had until them written all my assignments at university, except for the paper on Sophia Antipolis that I had typed slowly in French on an IMB computer at the CERAM business school. Stationed in a small musty room with a threadbare carpet at the top of the publishing house, I was confronted by my first ever typewriter, and an ancient manual one at that. 

My immediate boss for the publication was Rosemary, a lovely lady in her fifties who reminded me of a schoolteacher, as did the other two charming ladies in the room, Elizabeth married to Mike, who also worked at the company, and Lynne. Lynne would go each year on holiday to North Korea. I never really understood the appeal of the repeat trips. They all made me feel at home. 

However, my desperate and flailing attempts to type must have been jarring to them all, in particular Rosemary given the deadline for the publication and my snail-like speed, as it led to a meeting in the office of the managing editor where I was told in no uncertain terms that this was not good enough and sent the next day on evening courses after work at a private typewriting company. The company paid for the course. In actual fact, it looked after the staff, allowed them considerable leeway and freedom and listen to their concerns. The union couldn’t really complain about treatment. To be honest, I have never known such a stress-free environment. No wonder the rates of attrition were low. A significant number of people I knew at the time at Europa have continued evolving and working there.

Luckily, the training centre was a walking distance from the office. The course, consisting of 10 hour sessions, was not entirely compatible, as they used electric typewriters there. However, it did the trick and the sounds emanating from the keys became infinitely more bearable for everyone concerned. I duly assisted Rosemary with completion of the publication for the end of year. I must have done something right, as things were about to change for the better. 

After the initial stint on World of Learning, I was lined up to work from January as assistant editor on another directory, but one that was more popular and tended to attract the attention of the press. Before I could start, I was suddenly called into the office of the managing editor who made an offer that was to trigger anger and irritation amongst some employees. 

I was promoted to my surprise and the almost universal concern of others to acting editor of this title: The International Who’s Who (IWW), a list of the rich and famous, from business and politics to the arts, fashion and the media in general. It was felt that I wasn’t entitled to this position, as I lacked the necessary seniority. Of course, they were right. However, it was a case of force majeure, one where I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. In effect, I would be doing the work of two people, so I suppose management felt bound to do something.

For it had come to pass that Richard, the spectacled longstanding editor of IWW and one of the few individuals at the firm to wear a suit whatever the weather, had come down with a common ailment at the time Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, otherwise known as “Yuppie Flu”. As a result of this condition, it transpired that Richard, a Telegraph reader who felt that the unemployed had it far too easy and should be forced to work regardless of their state of health, had called in sick, stating that he was unable to work in the office and update the annual yearbook and would be off for a prolonged period. The condition didn’t prevent him from going to the theatre and opera regularly, as he would noticed there by thespian fans amongst the staff. I highly doubt that a tory-owned publication such as Associated Press would have been so understanding. 

In addition to the pay rise, another benefit was that I shared a bigger room now with a friendly girl Juliet who worked on another title and was the first to know anything that happened in the office. She warned me about the attitude to my temporary promotion. I was grateful to her for the information and the enjoyable atmosphere in the new premises.

As only a limited amount of preparation had been done on the new people to be added that year, I was given carte blanche to add names and duly did, conducting research on Latin American writers who were sorely missing, writing to the individuals concerned and requesting their biographies for inclusion. Similarly I added a number of young actors and musicians, both from the world of jazz and popular music, including George Michael. He penned a personal note on his joy on being included when providing information for the publication. This was indicative of an individual who was not only a musical talent, but also generous to fault, something which only came to light after his departure from this life far too early. 

As I was new to this publication, I decided to go through the book from scratch. During this process I removed a significant number of duplicates and other entries in cases where the individuals in question appeared to have passed on many years ago. I ended up working long hours for a couple of months in order to meet the tight deadline set by the printers. However, all overtime was taken into account. More importantly, management trusted employees to be honest and did not check the hours that they put down. A different time indeed. 

When IWW was published, the publicity department arranged phone and radio interviews. At this particular moment Richard bounded into the office, said hello to everyone and duly notified management that he felt well enough to take on this task. His demeanour changed when he was informed by the managing director that while his readiness to take on these duties was appreciated, everyone was extremely concerned about his recovery. It was recommended that he recuperate a while longer.

I was naturally overjoyed to assume this role, talking to a correspondent from the Daily Telegraph for their coverage, and to see my name in print the next day on a piece highlighting the more youthful nature of the publication and referring to a number of the actors and pop singers, in particular, George Michael. I was also interviewed by Radio 1, which then spent the week taking the piss about my surname, something I learned from colleagues at work, and by Radio Manchester. I suppose I wouldn’t have minded taking on the task for a while longer at more leisured pace. However, Richard was keen to return. My next position was to cause further strife…