Julian George: 'Any word out of place, the whole thing is worthless'

So far we've heard from Helga Schubert and Ben Sorgiovanni in this Winter season. We'll be welcoming Joanna Kavenna and Rachida Lamrabet over the next couple of weeks, but for this feature we present Julian George and The Movie Lovers.

George tells us how this short story emerged from the classic 1950s sitcom, The Honeymooners.

"I just thought of the character played by Audrey Meadows, Alice," he says. "Sometimes that character wanted something else, or there were moments of unexpected poignancy."

The cinema on East 14th Street where his two movie lovers meet was a "real picture palace", George continues. "I don't know if Charlie Chaplin or Al Jolson or Jimmy Cagney ever went there, but I like to think they did."

There may be plenty of gaps in the history of the Imperial for the writer of fiction to explore, but George was determined to find room to experiment in his novella Bebe, a fantasia on the life of Richard Nixon's friend, confidant and fixer Bebe Rebozo.

"I could have written this rather straightforward book," he explains, but "I have to keep myself entertained. I like to have a laugh."

Writing may be fun, but as a poet George is keenly aware of the need to measure out his prose, beat by beat.

"I want it to sing," he says, "but the song might be a darker one."

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