The Sage of Tetherdown

This is an engaging set of personal recollections of Colin Wilson by his friends and contemporaries that evoke a vivid portrait over London in the 1950s – I'm not sure about the term Sage, but I recognised accounts of his generosity to younger writers. My first book Survival was sent by the publishers to Colin, who was kind enough to say that it would become a classic in its field, which led to its subsequent publication in 1984. I visited Colin in Cornwall a couple of years later and remember taking him a bottle of Mercurey 1977 (he was a great wine lover) which we enjoyed over rapid-fire conversation partly about which of his books and I had read. I came away with signed biographies of Gurdjieff and Reich. He also offered £10 to any visitor who could indicate a space where a further bookshelf could be placed, a seemingly impossible task. I particularly enjoyed the contributions of Gary Lachman and Steve Taylor with Gary referring to a 'wine-fuelled evening in which Colin did his best to explain Husserl's ideas about consciousness to me.' For Steve, as for me when reading The Outsider, Colin's influence was formative, also in directing further reading. Wilson aficionados will enjoy these recollections over a glass of wine, perhaps toasting Colin's memory in the process.