Birthday

As an undergraduate at UCLA, I read and re-read Alan Sillitoe's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, reveling in the antics of the boozing, brawling, working-class character Arthur Seaton. However, as years passed (and I got my Ph.D., married, bought a house and had a kid), I found it difficult to identify with the literary hero of my young adulthood.Birthday has made Arthur Seaton alive and relevant to me again. What a joy to catch up with Arthur over 40 literary years later and see how an "angry young man" ages gracefully... sort of . Arthur is now a responsible parent, loving husband to a terminally-ill wife, and tender of a vegetable garden in his own home. Yet, he is the same old Arthur: telling outrageous stories, complaining about the uselessness of the government, and half-threatening to kill a young co-worker for wasting food (remember, Arthur Seaton grew up in a war-deprived England).Birthday alludes to many moments from Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Sometimes, the results are hilarious: A 60-year-old Arthur, for example, finds himself counseling a spitting-image son who has visions of blowing up Parliament and telling his boss off -- the same fantasies Arthur professed as a young man. Often, the past references are touching. See the recently-widowed Arthur frolic with his grandson (and re-engage in life) the way he used to with his young nephew back in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning.Fans of Saturday Night beware: much of Birthday focuses on Arthur's brother Brian and his weary struggle with existential issues and regret. The subplots with Arthur, however, really crackle with energy and good humor. I felt great after reading this book. If Arthur Seaton can remain vital through older adulthood, then maybe so can I. Cheers, Arthur!