Convict's tale
Sir: I have always taken the view that when an author writes a book he sets himself up as a target for the approval, or otherwise, of his readers, and especially of his reviewers. What may be said about the book is up to them and is, after all, only one man's (or woman's) opinion, however widely circulated. I do a con- siderable amount of reviewing myself and am always conscious of this fact. However, when a reviewer appears to have got the wrong end of the stick about a book, as I believe is the case with Rayner Heppenstall when reviewing my book The Man from Devil's Island (16 August), the author is surely entitled to com- ment.
Mr Heppenstall appears to be complaining that I did not use my material as a novelist, yet remarks that I am not a novelist. Which is precisely why the book is a work of non- fiction. I consider that I have been neither `devious' nor 'intermittently candid' in identi- fying the sources of certain material which I cross-checked against the verbal reminiscences of my informant, Etienne Artaud. As explained in some detail in my introduction, I went to great lengths to check out what he told me, consulting other books by Guiana convicts, French trial records and other such primary sources as were available. I believe that to have taken his story at face value, without checking all that could possibly be checked, would have been irresponsible and would have been the subject for considerable, and valid, criticism. The implication of plagiarism by Mr Heppenstall is as unworthy of the reviewer as it is untrue of the author.
It was nice of Mr Heppenstall to check some of my story against his own small library on French penology. I am glad that he thinks I emerge 'with credit' and am sorry that he is so grudging elsewhere in the review when he has to admit that he learned several things which he did not know. My aim was to inform readers, especially those, like the reviewer, with a particular interest in the story of the prison colony in French Guiana. I suspect, however, that Mr Heppenstall's library must be small indeed if he was unaware that Devil's Island itself was used solely for traitors. He is doubt- ful about the use of some French slang, but has my assurance that it is correct, and com- plains that the phrase 'le bagne' was never applied exclusively to Guiana. I never sug- gested that it was. He may accept my statistics safely, as well as the year of the death of Pierre Bougrat, whatever another author may have written. Finally, when he complains that I do not tell the story of Guillaume Seznac, he forgets, I think, that I was telling the story as told to me. Seznac was not mentioned. Therefore he was not included.
Colin Rickards 143 Gray's Inn Road, London WCI
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