True Born Englishman: did the BBC ban this Buckingham Palace play?

Peter Barnes’ monologue about a royal footman was commissioned for radio but never broadcast until now. Director Philip Franks and others unravel its mysteryThe most celebrated set of dramatic monologues for broadcasting and theatre are Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads, first performed in the 1980s. But, at around the same time, a lesser-known dramatist created another trove of solos. Peter Barnes had 14 soliloquies on BBC Radio 3 under the umbrella titles Barnes’ People and More Barnes’ People. They attracted remarkable actors, including Laurence Olivier (in his final role), Judi Dench, Alec Guinness, Alan Rickman, Janet Suzman and Jeremy Irons.Barnes wrote, though, a 15th monologue, which the BBC, in mysterious circumstances, withdrew from production in 1990. A True Born Englishman, in which a Buckingham Palace lackey recalls his career, will now have its world premiere online, performed by Adrian Scarborough, on 18 February, alongside new versions of three monologues that did go out on radio. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-02-12 13:00:44 UTC ]
News tagged with: #alan bennett #talking heads #alan rickman #jeremy irons

Other Publishing stories related to: 'True Born Englishman: did the BBC ban this Buckingham Palace play?'


Rising book bans: Grounds for moral panic?

Books in schools and libraries increasingly have targets on their spines. The more partisan the battle has become, the more it manifests as a power struggle, rather than an effort to best serve children. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-02-09 18:11:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #moral panic #power struggle #libraries


Racism, ‘Fortune,’ and America’s True History Laid Bare in New Book

In 'Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World and How to Repair it All,' author and activist Lisa Sharon Harper says structural racism isn't just a political or even only an ethical problem – it's a religious one as well. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-02-09 05:00:00 UTC ]
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'Maus' ban makes Art Spiegelman's Holocaust graphic novel an Amazon bestseller

Sales of Art Spiegelman's 'Maus,' the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel on the Holocaust, have risen after a Tennessee school board banned it this month. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-31 18:49:42 UTC ]
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Sales of Maus Soar After a Tennessee School Board Banned the Book

Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel about the Holocaust now has several top slots on Amazon’s bestseller list. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2022-01-30 22:54:35 UTC ]
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Art Spiegelman calls Tennessee schools' ban on 'Maus' 'myopic' and 'absurd'

Pulitzer Prize winner Art Spiegelman has denounced the 'absurd' removal of his graphic novel 'Maus,' about the Holocaust, from school libraries. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-01-28 20:33:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #school libraries #graphic novel #pulitzer prize


A Mississippi mayor is withholding $110,000 from libraries until they ban ‘homosexual materials.’

A new, highly concerning entry in the wave of classroom book bans sweeping the nation: Gene McGee, mayor of Ridgeland, Mississippi, is withholding $110,000 of funding from the Madison County Library System—funding already approved by the board of aldermen—until librarians remove “homosexual... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-01-28 17:52:29 UTC ]
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Tennessee school district bans Holocaust novel 'Maus'

Conservative districts across the U.S. are increasingly limiting the types of books that children are exposed to, including those that address structural racism and LGBTQ issues. Art Spiegelman, who won the Pulitzer Prize for “Maus” in 1992, is “baffled” by the ban. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2022-01-28 15:54:18 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lgbtq issues #art spiegelman #pulitzer prize


China’s true ambitions, and what they mean for the U.S.

Elizabeth Economy looks closely at Xi Jinping's push to make China the center of the world. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-01-28 13:00:08 UTC ]
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Tennessee School Board Bans Graphic Novel Maus Right Before Holocaust Remembrance Day

The "Orwellian" decision to ban a graphic novel that depicts the horrors of the Holocaust was made days before Holocaust Remembrance Day. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-01-27 17:45:36 UTC ]
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Paul Dacre’s all for freedom of expression – except when he’s a character in your play | Tim Walker

Gina Miller and Theresa May are happy to be in Bloody Difficult Women, but the Mail man wanted his lawyers to vet the scriptThe Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday have been banging on a lot lately about freedom of expression. An editorial declared it to be a “dark day” when the newspaper group... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-01-25 08:00:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #legal battle #meghan markle #west london #factual accuracy #tim walker #anthology


Oneworld scoops 'unforgettable' insider account from BBC Newsnight’s McAlister

Oneworld has commissioned an "unforgettable" insider account from former BBC "Newsnight" producer Sam McAlister, the "booker extraordinaire" who secured an infamous interview with Prince Andrew. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-17 23:51:46 UTC ]
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In ‘No Land to Light On,’ a husband and wife are torn apart by the 2017 travel ban

Yara Zgheib delves beneath the headlines with the tragic story of two Syrian immigrants. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-01-03 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The Only True Name: Who is Elena Ferrante?

Who is Elena Ferrante? One of the most widely-acclaimed and beloved contemporary novelists is also the most unknown. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-29 11:33:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins scoops debut from ex-BBC politics editor Burley

HarperCollins has scooped Why is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me?, an insider account and debut by former BBC political programming editor Rob Burley. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-17 14:50:05 UTC ]
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Authors Guild Fights School Book Bans

The Authors Guild has launched a National Letter Writing campaign, asking its 11,000 members and supporters to send emails and letters to school boards, lawmakers, and newspapers arguing that banning books harms students. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-16 05:00:00 UTC ]
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What It’s Like to Have Your Book Banned by the School Board

An author whose YA novel is getting banned across the country responds to the outrage. Continue reading at Slate

[ Slate | 2021-12-13 20:06:19 UTC ]
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'True one off' author Anne Rice dies, aged 80

The American author Anne Rice, best known for Interview with the Vampire, has died aged 80 with Chatto & Windus paying tribute to the "true one-off". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-12 22:02:56 UTC ]
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‘True Grit’ is a modern classic, but it’s not the only great work by Charles Portis

I binge-read Portis’s books — “Norwood,” “The Dog of the South” and more. They offered just the lift I needed. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-11-24 12:00:00 UTC ]
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S&S signs Mason's 'delicious and playful' YA series

Simon & Schuster Children’s Books has acquired Rock, Paper, Killers, the "delicious and playful" first in a line of YA thrillers by Alexia Mason, a new pseudonym for Irish crime writer Alex Barclay.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-18 07:49:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya series