Only When I Larf
Len Deighton's Only When I Larf is a 1968 British comic thriller describing the activities of a team of three confidence tricksters led by Silas Lowther (late 40s), his girlfriend Liz Mason (late 20s) and wannabe apprentice and Liz-worshipper Bob (early 20s). It was published in 1968 by Michael Joseph and in paperback by Sphere. It is currently (2012) printed by Harper in the UK.
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Len Deighton |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Comic thriller novel |
| Publisher | Sphere Books |
Publication date | 1968 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-7221-2986-6 |
| OCLC | 255886426 |
The novel interleaves first-person narratives from Bob (76 pages in 7 chapters), Liz (78 pages in 6 chapters) and Silas (88 pages in 5 chapters). Their increasingly contradictory descriptions of shared experiences contribute to the humour. This unreliable narration adds to the atmosphere around deceiving "the marks". The title is explained in a variety of unlikely anecdotes where in each case a critically injured third party bravely replies this when asked "Does it hurt?"
Adaptations
A film adaptation of Only When I Larf, directed by Basil Dearden,[1] was released in 1968 starring Richard Attenborough as Silas, David Hemmings as Bob and Alexandra Stewart as Liz and has been well reviewed.[2][3][4]
References
- "Only When I Larf". Variety. 1967-12-31. Retrieved 2014-02-22.
- Channel4.com
- Vincent Canby. The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- Variety. Retrieved 28 April 2013.