To readers of fiction Robert Irwin, who has died aged 77, was known as the author of a series of historical and fantastical novels, 10 in total, beginning with The Arabian Nightmare (1983). This book was already written in the late 1970s when its author, then in his early 30s, attended the writing course at Morley College in London. But it was at Morley that Irwin met Eric Lane, a fellow aspiring novelist, who would go on to found Dedalus Press and publish The Arabian Nightmare as one of Dedalus’s first three books.
The venture was not an immediate success. “There was great excitement when Hatchards in Piccadilly had sold a copy of The Arabian Nightmare,” Lane said, “but unfortunately it was later found out of position in the bookshop.” Persistence brought the book to the attention of reviewers, however, including Hilary Bailey of the Guardian, who called it “constantly entertaining”.
