Hemingway's Chair by Michael Palin By Steve Rudd

Bearing in mind that Michael Palin has literally travelled around the world and back (and them some), you'd think that his debut novel might be, well, a little more exciting! But far from setting it in hot-&-bothered LA or in and amongst the manic metropolis of Tokyo, Michael's set this beautifully written novel in small-town England. A modest story of humble proportions, Hemingway's Chair focuses on middle-aged man Martin Sproale who's the assistant postmaster in his town.

He loves where he lives yet he does have ambition, but when the powers-that-be above him begin to make some fundamental changes to the way in which the post office is run, Martin soon realises that promotion might come at a price. Slowly but surely he watches on helplessly as the post office is modernised before his eyes, which alienates many of the local people who prefer the good old fashioned post office practices. All the while, Martin's interest in Ernest Hemingway and his work intensifies, particularly when he meets an out-of-town lady who's in the area and who shares a similar passion for the author.

As the story progresses, Martin begins to adopt certain Hemingway-endorsed characteristics, and the Chair of the title refers to the fishing boat chair that Martin coincidentally sees and attempts to save enough money to buy: a chair, no less, that Hemingway actually once sat in himself. Like Hemingway did, Martin secretly pities some of the people he knows or meets through working in the town.

Tea-drinkers, mothers, post office administrators, would-be fiancées. Little people with little minds. When would they realise that only through confrontation with danger could life be lived to the full? Before Palin set about writing this novel he painstakingly researched into Hemingway's fascinating life so that when his character Martin talked about Ernest he could do so with authentic hard facts. Tangentially, Palin even devised a TV series entitled Hemingway's Adventure in which he travelled the world in the footsteps of the man to where he spent much of his life, which included countries in Africa, Venice in Italy, Paris and Pamplona in Spain, the latter town which is famous the world over for the annual bull-running event of potentially lethal proportions through its streets.

As the end of the story looms it becomes obvious that Martin - the main character in the story - wants to defy authority and stop any further modernisation of the post office. With Hemingway's Chair at his disposal, he sits in the chair and coincidentally 'becomes' just like Ernest - just like Jim Carrey morphed into an alter ego upon wearing The Mask in the movie of the same name. I want the same as anybody else. I want to know that I've taken care of the big things. Like love and hate and fear. And that I haven't done too bad at the small ones either.

In a deft act of defiance come the climax to the story, Martin reigns proud of his actions. As for Michael Palin, he should be equally as proud for presenting such a subtly inspirational story, that's totally devoid of violence and utterly charming in its modesty. ISBN 0-413-68930-1 (Methuen; first published in 1995)

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