A Socialist History Society on-line talk with Helen Mercer.

James Aldridge’s novels are available on the Internet Archive website…

James Aldridge (1918-2015) was not the greatest post war novelist but several of his books were bestsellers in their day. His novel The Diplomat, set against the background of the Iran crisis of 1946, won him the World Peace Council prize in 1953.

Aldridge was one of the most popular modern Western writers in the Soviet Union. The power of his writing for adults and children is striking, yet you won’t have heard of him.

This introduction to his work calls for a reassessment of this lifelong Marxist and campaigner for peace and understanding.

Helen Mercer is a retired university lecturer and long-standing campaigner in local health and peace movements