Speak Well of Me: The Authorised Biography of Sir Ronald Harwood

Author:   W. Sydney Robinson
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Edition:   2nd edition
ISBN:  

9781350254305


Pages:   208
Publication Date:   07 October 2021
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Our Price $44.99 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Speak Well of Me: The Authorised Biography of Sir Ronald Harwood


Add your own review!

Overview

Sir Ronald Harwood (1934-2020) was one of the most prolific playwrights and screenwriters of his generation. His acclaimed play, The Dresser, has been constantly revived since its premiere in 1980 and has been adapted for both cinema and television, most recently the 2015 BBC production starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Ian McKellen. Harwood’s other notable film adaptations included Roman Polanski’s haunting depiction of life in the Warsaw Ghetto, The Pianist (2002), Baz Luhrmann’s frontier epic, Australia (2008), and Dustin Hoffman’s poignant celebration of old age, Quartet (2012). His many awards included an Oscar for The Pianist and a BAFTA for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007). Speak Well of Me turns the focus onto Harwood himself. Based on extensive interviews with the playwright during his final years, the biography recounts Harwood’s gradual transformation from lacklustre South African schoolboy to doyen of theatreland and Hollywood. While dissecting each of his major works, the book candidly explores Harwood’s friendships with the likes of Harold Pinter, J. B. Priestley, André Previn, Sir Donald Wolfit (who inspired The Dresser) and, most controversially, Roman Polanski. The result is a biography as gripping and morally complex as one of Harwood’s own dramas. This new paperback edition includes memoirs and assessments of Harwood by Gyles Brandreth, Sir Tom Courtenay, Lady Antonia Fraser, Frederic Raphael, Sir Antony Sher and the playwright’s oldest friend, Gerald Masters.

Full Product Details

Author:   W. Sydney Robinson
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Methuen Drama
Edition:   2nd edition
Weight:   0.282kg
ISBN:  

9781350254305


ISBN 10:   1350254304
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   07 October 2021
Audience:   College/higher education ,  General/trade ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

Table of Contents

Introduction Prologue Act One: WALKING THE BOARDS 1.) A Man from the Colonies 2.) Uncle Lionel 3.) 'Clean My Boots!' Act Two: A STAR IS BORN 4.) Early Magic 5.) 'Mine for the Asking' Act Three: BEYOND OLYMPIA 6.) Show Business 7.) Man of Letters INTERVAL 8.) The Good Companion Act Four: SARTOR RESARTUS: The Tailor Retailored 9.) The Dresser 10.) With the Greats Act Five: AUTUMN TRIUMPH 11.) The Pianist 12.) Arise, Sir Ronald CURTAIN CALL 13.) At Home Acknowledgements Major Works By Ronald Harwood Endnotes Index

Reviews

Ronald Harwood is a highly intelligent dramatist who handles important themes with a powerful theatrical skill. Furthermore he possesses an ability to tell stories, by which I mean his sense of narrative binds his skills to produce a compelling stage battle. I envy his abilities. * Arnold Wesker *


Author Information

W. Sydney Robinson is the author of Muckraker: The Scandalous Life and Times of W. T. Stead, Britain’s First Investigative Journalist (2012), which was awarded the ‘Political Biography of the Year’ prize at the 2013 Total Politics Book Awards. He has also written The Last Victorians: A Daring Reassessment of Four Twentieth Century Eccentrics (2014) and Historic Affairs: The Muses of Sir Arthur Bryant (2021).

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

wl

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List