The World Is Full of Married Men

infobox Book
name = The World is Full of Married Men
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Jackie Collins
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Novel
publisher = W. H. Allen
pub_date = 1968
english_pub_date =
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 816 pp
isbn = ISBN 0446357170
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The World Is Full Of Married Men" was the debut novel of author Jackie Collins, first published in 1968 by W. H. Allen.

Plot summary

Set in London, David Cooper, an advertising executive for Cooper-Taylor cheats on his wife Linda. She doesn't cheat -- and that suits him just fine. Until the young and beautiful Claudia Parker appears and David wants out of his marriage. But Claudia has different ideas -- different dreams: To be a model, an actress, a star. And she'll do anything to make it. When Linda finds out about the affair she ends the marriage and files for divorce.At first protesting, David finally relents and moves into an apartment with Claudia. After six months however, the pair are sick of each other and now that the divorce is finalised, Linda has started seeing Hollywood film producer Jay Grossman. Realizing his mistake in letting Linda go, David fails to win her back and falls into an alcoholic stupor that renders him virtually impotent and only able to perform with his mousy spinster secretary.

Reaction

Without an agent but with the strong support and encouragment of her husband, Collins sent off the manuscript to a publisher. It was accepted. Within a week of its publication "The World Is Full Of Married Men" made the best-seller list.fact|date=September 2008 The book went big in both England and America, but was banned in Australia. Collins' publishers at the time W.H. Allen, told her that unless she took the "four-letter words" out, the book would be banned in Australia. So Collins proceeded in taking the four-letter words out and it was still banned in Australia. "What's the matter? Don't you have married men there?" She quipped. At the time public reaction to Collins debut novel was scandalised. The racy novel was described by novelist Barbara Cartland as "pornographic" and the book was banned in certain other countries. Although many criticised the book for its sexually explicit nature, it was a big seller.fact|date=September 2008When Collins father Joe Collins was sent a copy of the book signed by herself, he stopped reading it after the first few pages. "Jackie's racy style was altogether too much for me", he later said and for the rest of his life he was never to read more than just a few pages of his daughter's racy "pot-boilers". "I am not a prude", he said. "I'm thick skinned and broad-minded and hard to shock (but it is) distasteful for a father to read his daughter's descriptions of sex."His dislike of Collins' books later ruined their relationship.fact|date=September 2008

Film adaptations

A film version of Collins novel was released eleven years after the novel's release in 1979. The film was made to capitalise on the success of The Stud and The Bitch, two of Collins other racy novels made into films in 1978 and 1979. The film was changed to an American setting for the film with a complete American cast starring Anthony Franciosa as cheating David Cooper, Carroll Baker as his ever-faithful wife Linda, Sherrie-Lee Cronn as budding starlet Claudia Parker and Gareth Hunt as Hollywood film producer Jay Grossman.

References