Laura Black (May 1, 1929 – February 26, 2000)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Roger Erskine Longrigg (born Edinburgh, May 1, 1929) was the son of Brigadier Stephen Hemsley Longrigg. He married Jane Catherine Chichester, daughter of Marcus Beresford Chichester and Myra Brownrigg Jay, on 20 July 1957. Three daughters: Laura Jane Longrigg b. 21 Jun 1958, Frances Angelica Longrigg b. 26 Mar 1961, Clare Selina Longrigg b. 23 Aug 1963. He died on 26 February 2000.

ROGER LONGRIGG was the author of 55 books. There is nothing unique about this statistic. Many writers have achieved a similar output. What was unique was that the authorship of each was concealed behind one of eight different noms de plume. Even more remarkable was that the books in each different category were financially profitable.

Readers of the busty Scottish historical novels supposedly written by Laura Black would have been surprised to know that Rosalind Erskine, creator of the saucy The Passion-Flower Hotel (1962), came from the same stable. Or that Ivor Drummond, the Ian Fleming lookalike, was the author of The History of Horse Racing (1972).

The Passion-Flower Hotel (1962) is a proto-Jackie Collins’ story of how some 15-year-old nymphets establish a brothel in their gym to cater for boys from a nearby school and rapidly became a bestseller; though it soon emerged that Rosalind wasn’t all she pretended to be. In reality she was Oxford-educated Roger Erskine Longrigg, the son of a brigadier.

What most impressed Longrigg's book-trade colleagues was the feat of achieving success under all those names. Most writers are content to establish a reputation under one name, let alone eight (the others he wrote under, apart from his own, were Megan Barker, Grania Beckford, Frank Parrish and Domini Taylor). Of course it is possible that Longrigg's considerable overall success might have been greater if his writing had been less diverse.

He enjoyed the mystery and mischief of his various pseudonymous selves, and never failed to reply in character to their fan-mail. Rosalind Erskine, in particular, received some interesting entreaties from lesbian readers, fascinated by his novel about a group of public schoolgirls who turned their school gym into a brothel. The intrigue surrounding the authorship of The Passion-Flower Hotel was spoiled when Longrigg was exposed by the gossip columnist Richard Berens, in the William Hickey column of the Daily Express, putting an end to one of the more amusing episodes of Longrigg's secret life.

In another such episode, as Frank Parrish, he was awarded the John Cheever mystery writers' prize for a first published thriller. There was some embarrassment when it was discovered that it was in fact his 20th book.

Not only could he write in any style, but he could write anywhere. The first draft of The Passion-Flower Hotel was penned in longhand on a friend's yacht in Italy. Having given up his job in advertising to become a full- time writer, he relished his days in the countryside. Many of his plots were composed fly-fishing on the river, or riding horses, and much of his writing in summer was done in longhand, with a clipboard, floating on the swimmin pool.

His plots came from many and varied sources. The Jevington System (by Domini Taylor, 1973) was written after he met a man who was trying to use a roulette system to raise money for an operation for his son. Longrigg spent many days trying out the system in a London casino, and discovered that gambling is as arduous a way of making a living as any.

Roger Erskine Longrigg was born into a military family in 1929. His father, a brigadier, was at that time serving in the Middle East, a vital area, as always, in the production of petroleum. However, Longrigg returned to England for a formal education, first at Bryanston School, subsequently at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read History.

Coming down in 1955, he joined an advertising agency. Based on his experience there, he published (under his own name) his first novel, A High-Pitched Buzz (1956), a sharp and witty picture of the advertising profession. Some critics still consider it to be equal to his later, more established novels. Encouraged by its success, he followed up with Switchboard (1957), which reinforced the promise of his first book.

In 1959 Longrigg married Jane Chichester, a much-admired writer of domestic comedy, with whom he fathered three daughters all of whom became involved in journalism and the stage. At this period he made the decision to become a full-time writer and thereafter there followed a flow of books, many of which were adapted for the stage and for television.

Country life suited both writers. Jane acquired a wide variety of bantams and a succession of Pekineses. Roger became a highly proficient fly-fisherman and acquired a rod on the Kennet. Later, when financial security enabled him to have time for other pursuits, he enrolled at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, where he qualified for an honours degree and was an exhibitor at the annual shows. Painting was to become an increasing preoccupation of his leisure.

Longrigg continued to write. One of his later novels, Mother Love (by Domini Taylor, 1983), was exceedingly successful both as a book and - adapted by Andrew Davies in 1989 with Diana Rigg in the lead role - on television. But publishing was changing as was the taste of readers and Longrigg was unwilling, or unable, to channel his talents into the production of the sex and violence which leads to exposure on airport bookshelves.

He always maintained that his career as a writer connected with the years when the book trade was at its most enjoyable. There is certainly no doubt about his own enjoyment as an author. At the end of his life, when he was so cruelly deprived of his remarkable voice, he still managed to keep those around him entertained with his acerbic wit. Writing and drawing tirelessly, he continued to provide a commentary on the world around him.

First Book - A High-Pitched Buzz (1956) as Roger Longrigg

Last Book - The History of Horse Racing (1972) as Roger Longrigg

Source: The Independent (London), Mar 1, 2000 by Graham Watson

Comments

[gaycrow.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is very interesting! I have two of "Laura Black's" novels, bought years ago. I enjoyed them very much back then. How surprising to see that they were written by this author.

Thanks for sharing.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Still now many people don't know not only that Laura Black was a man, but that he was such an interesting man. Elisa