Talk:Colin Wilson

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[edit] Magnum Opus

Should this not be "The Outsider"?--KaptKos 07:11, 7 August 2006 (UTC)

Have changed to The Outsider as I cannot find any refs to The Occult being his MO. Mind you I couldn't find many for the Outsider besides this one [1] --KaptKos 10:26, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps you could put his book titles in Google and see which gets the most hits :-) Also you can cross check this to see which one has the highest Amazon.com ranking. 129.127.28.3 09:43, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Philip Pullman

This seems a bit spurious, Pullman cites Wilson as someone who led him to others (who may have influenced him) here and here but where does he actually say he was influenced by Wilsons thinking? I'm going to revert this unless someone comes up with something concrete --KaptKos 09:43, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

done --KaptKos 15:42, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Angry Young Men

"Wilson was labelled as an Angry Young Man, though he had little in common with other members of the group." I think this is too simplistic. Wilson did publish a manifesto piece in the collection Declaration (ed T. Maschler, MacGibbon & Kee, 1957), along with just about every other writer labelled as an AYM - Amis, Wain, Osborne, etc. The collection also included pieces by Bill Hopkins and Stuart Holroyd who were friends, flatmates and collaborators of Wilson, and with whom he avowedly had a great deal in common. In his book on the AYM, Kenneth Alsop devoted a chapter to Wilson/Hopkins/Holroyd, calling them 'The Law Givers" ('The Angry Decade: A Survey of the Cultural Revolt of the Nineteen-Fifties' Owen, 1958).

Also, an excerpt from 'The Outsider' appeared in a popular anthology, 'The Beat Generation and the Angry Young Men' (ed. G. Feldman, Citadel Press, 1958).

Therefore, whatever his own views, Wilson was widely considered an AYM, especially by contemporary observers, and was involved in the milieu - which itself was, admittedly, riven by political differences. In any case, Hopkins and Holroyd should be mentioned in the article.

I can draft changes unless anyone strongly disagrees. KD

Done, with citations. KD Tries Again 17:03, 2 March 2007 (UTC)KD

I remember reading one of his books and Wilson himself said he had nothing to do with that, and they had mistaken him. I forget which work I read it in. There is a lot of repetition, but it was in more than one. Can anyone remember? This should be mentioned, since now it only says what other have said about this, not what he himself has said, as appears in one of his works. I don't have access to the books now so I can't check. Ring a bell anyone?--Asdfg12345 01:21, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

I am sure you're right, and Wilson's statement is worth including. However, the added material is justified by his public reception in the 1950s, when he happily shared platforms with other Angries, both in print and in person.KD Tries Again 16:56, 6 March 2007 (UTC)KD
And he's just written a book called "The Rise and Fall of the Angry Young Men." (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Angry-Years-Rise-Fall-Young/dp/1861059728/sr=8-5/qid=1171992836/ref=pd_ka_5/026-2027377-0080444?ie=UTF8&s=books).

KD Tries Again 18:55, 4 April 2007 (UTC)KD