he: A Novel(100)

But he is, in the end, a work of fiction. The version of Stan Laurel depicted in its pages is a construct, and one that I accept may not meet with unanimous approval. (The same may be true of the representation of Chaplin, about whom Stan Laurel resolutely declined to say a bad word, although what one says is not necessarily the same as what one may feel.) All I can say is this: by the end of the writing of this book, I loved Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy more than ever, with all their flaws, in all their humanity, and my admiration for their artistry had only increased.

My thanks to Sue Fletcher, my editor at Hodder & Stoughton, and Jamie-Hodder Williams, Swati Gamble, Kerry Hood, Lucy Hale, Alice Morley, Susan Spratt, Alistair Oliver, Jim Binchy, Breda Purdue, Ruth Shern and Siobhan Tierney, all of whom offered support and encouragement for this book, as well as the company reps who had to listen to me attempt to explain it so they could find a way to convince booksellers to stock it in turn. Kate O’Hearn, my fellow author, kindly agreed to help with clearance, while Mark Cubin, who now runs Ulverston’s Laurel and Hardy Museum (www.laurel-and-hardy.co.uk), graciously offered assistance with documents, as did my son, Cameron.

Finally, to Jennie, Cameron and Alistair: my love and gratitude.