Sunday 22nd November 2026 6.30pm Adrift in Soho, the book and film - Colin Stanley

Adrift in Soho exists as both a 1961 semi-autobiographical novel by Colin Wilson and a 2018/2019 independent film adaptation directed by Pablo Behrens. Set in the late 1950s, both mediums explore London’s burgeoning Beat Generation and bohemian subculture, chronicling the transition from postwar austerity into the radical cultural shift of the 1960s. Colin Stanley is the official bibliographer, longtime friend, and leading archivist for the prolific English author and philosopher Colin Wilson. After discovering Wilson’s first novel, Ritual in the Dark, at age 18, Stanley became deeply inspired by Wilson's ideas on existentialism and consciousness. In 1981, while working as a librarian at Nottingham University, Stanley reached out to Wilson to suggest compiling a comprehensive bibliography of his works. Wilson enthusiastically agreed, sparking a 30-year literary partnership and friendship that lasted until Wilson’s death in 2013. All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome - £5 suggested to cover  costs.