Dog Days in Soho, by Nigel Richardson

It's hard to be a courtier in the kingdom of Soho. There are few worlds more unforgiving. The author evokes superbly the desperate, hedonistic circle around Francis Bacon, but his hero is one who lived on its fringes. Josh Avery, a runaway sailor, is taken under the wing of louche photographer Daniel Farson and embarks on a series of adventures both depressing and surreal. Everyone takes him for a muse; no one takes him seriously. Nigel Richardson charts the progress of his friend from hustler to "benign anarchist" with great humanity. He speaks of Venice as "the only old lady I have ever wanted to ravish". That other old lady, Soho, requires you to wake up with her.