Roland Camberton, občianskym menom Henry Cohen, bol britský autor známy svojím prenikavým pohľadom na židovský život v londýnskom Hackney v tridsiatych rokoch. Jeho tvorba, hoci rozsiahla, sa sústredí na zachytenie špecifickej atmosféry a spoločenských pomerov. Camberton vynikal v opisovaní každodennej reality s jemným citom pre psychológiu postáv. Jeho diela sú cenené pre svoju autenticitu a schopnosť evokovať stratený svet.
As well as the elegant squares of Bloomsbury, Ivan Ginsberg walks the decaying back-streets of Soho, haunting cafes and pubs in company with an array of bohemian characters. As he wanders, his hopes of literary success seem further away than ever. With no capital and no backing, will he ever manage to produce 'Scamp', the literary magazine which gives this book its title?
Roland Camberton's second novel, first published in 1951, is a coming of age portrayal of 'down Hackney', home of David Hirsch, who steadily leaves behind his Jewish upbringing in adolescence to explore the wider world of London. Typically there is a wide array of humorous characters in his portrayal of Hackney and the more cosmopolitan world Hirsch is drawn towards.