Saintly reflections

I USED to enjoy the Saint.

Not the television series – with Roger Moore in his pre-James Bond days – still repeated over and over on ITV 4.

No, I’m talking about the books.

Leslie Charteris – a much better writer, in my opinion, than Ian Fleming – wrote about thirty of them, novels, novellas, collections of short stories, all featuring his dashing, eponymous hero.

And great fun they were too.

I’ve still got a couple of the novels – and I’m revisiting them…

Oh dear…

It’s said that you should never go back to where you’ve been before – first impressions can never be revived.

Sadly, true.

A cardboard character, against a cardboard background.

Not that it’s badly written – as I say, I still think Charteris is a good, entertaining writer; but I get the feeling that Simon Templar became something of an industry with him –Charteris had to produce.

And it shows.

All right, I can forgive the rather dated plots – many of these books were written in 1930s and 40s.

But the lack of any change, any transition; the Saint even in his old age never actually ages.

All right, yes, he stops smoking in one of the later books, but that’s about it.

He’s still as debonair, as handsome in the 1980s as he was in the 1920s.

Maybe I’m asking too much from a fictional character, but if you’re keeping the character alive, a little change is welcome.

Even in someone as iconic as the Saint.

Hey, just a thought – what about a new Saint, a new Simon Templar for our age? One who goes after corrupt politicians and crooked bankers?

Actually, maybe the stories aren’t as dated as I thought….