(1974), Alan Sillitoe’s ninth novel, is the last in the “William Posters” trilogy. Volumes one and two,

(1965) and

(1967), had appeared within two years of each other, but seven years elapsed before its final volume emerged. In his “Author’s Note” to

, Sillitoe says he began it in August 1967 and finished it in January 1974 and acknowledges this is “a long time for one book”; he attributes the delay both to the pressure of other writing and to the fact that “the plot and form” of

“weren’t so absolutely clear in my mind as they subsequently became over the years” (5).

focuses on the travails of the community, a hybrid of family and commune, which began to emerge towards the end of Tree.

2031 words

Citation: Tredell, Nicolas. "The Flame of Life". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 November 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14278, accessed 19 April 2024.]