God's Amateur: The Writing of E.C. Large

Book excerpt: E. C. Large (1902-1976) was—in chronological order—an industrial chemist, writer, and plant scientist. Best known for his 1940 history of plant diseases, The Advance of the Fungi, it is his long-out-of-print late-1930s oeuvre that will fascinate a new generation of readers. God's Amateur: The Writing of E.C. Large is a long-overdue critical revaluation of the fictional creations of a liberal free thinker whose exacting, imaginative prose is often compared to that of George Orwell. Featuring an account of Large's life; a full bibliography of published writings; and a selection of shorter pieces—travel essays, reportage, reveries, book reviews—God's Amateur reveals the full extent of Large's ambitions as a writer. An extended essay by Stuart Bailey (editor of Dot Dot Dot) discusses the writings from a wider contemporary perspective.