First published in 1962, "As Near as I Can Get" was Paul Ableman's follow up to his critically acclaimed debut "I Hear Voices". Following Alan Peebles, a young man struggling to become a poet, "As Near as I Can" depicts a mid-twentieth century London of offices, pubs and lodgings. Fuelled by drink through these desperate years, the narrator charts his encounters with women and fellow artists, as he seeks to glimpse a wonder in life barely discernible beneath the routine of every day. The novel was reviewed by Anthony Burgess, a greatly admirer of Ableman's work for its inventive language, bawdy high spirits and originality of form.