The Apologetic Tiger
| Author | James Workman |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | thriller |
| Published | London |
| Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
Publication date | 1958 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
The Apologetic Tiger is a 1958 novel by Australian author James Workman. It was his first novel.[1][2]
The novel was adapted for a radio serial in 1960 with episodes running for twenty minutes each.[3][4]
Premise
Mr Trevalyon, a retired principal of a reformatory for boys, investigates one of his students, Slim Masterton.
Reception
The Guardian Journall called it "a comedy thriller of remarkable freshness and originality."[5]
New Zealand Listener called it "perfectly absurd in its thrills, but the basic idea is new and diverting. A retired principal of an English reformatory keeps an eye on his old boys and girls, and exercises such an influence that his presence deflates the plans of backsliders. Interest in one old pupil leads him to Africa and into a hectic dance of danger. He explains that you can learn a lot of useful tricks in a reformatory. Especially recommended to the police and Borstal and probation officers."[6]
Punch declaired "It was a good idea to make a hero of a retired reformatory head and send him off in pursuit of one of his “old boys” who had really gone to the bad" and admitted "Workman makes amusing use of this situation and of some of the “honest crooks” who sat under Mr. Trevalyon... But alas! he lacks restraint. The White Slave Traffic and gas chambers in Tangier fail to thrill."[7]
References
- ^ Oral history of James Workman interviewed by Stuart Glover, National Film and Sound Archive. NFSA ID374406, recorded 1998
- ^ WORKMAN, JAMES : INTERVIEWED BY DIANA COMBE : ORAL HISTORY, National Film and Sound Archive, NFSA ID191350, recorded 1984
- ^ "Advertising". The Canberra Times. Vol. 35, no. 9, 698. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 5 September 1960. p. 15. Retrieved 18 September 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Advertisement". The Sun Herald. 4 September 1960. p. 79.
- ^ "Fiction". The Guardian Journal. 25 September 1958. p. 4.
- ^ "Kidnappers". New Zealand Listener. Vol. 40, no. 1035. 26 June 1959. p. 14.
- ^ "Blood Count". Punch. 29 October 1958. p. 575.