The Life of a Long Distance Writer - Hardcover

Bradford, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0720613175 ISBN 13: 9780720613179

Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers, 2008

Synopsis

Written with the close co-operation of Alan Sillitoe himself, The Life of a Long Distance Writer is not only the definitive work on the legendary writer in his 80th birthday year, it also promises to be perhaps the most controversial literary biography of the last decade. Alan Sillitoe has allowed Richard Bradford unrestricted access to his papers and personal archive, enabling Bradford to build the first comprehensive portrait of this brilliant and often contradictory figure. Within it, Bradford reveals - among other things - that Sillitoe, though proud of his background and Nottingham hometown, rejects the 'working-class writer' tag that has been thrust on him, loathes political correctness in all its forms and has retained for a long time a somewhat unfashionable Zionism, strongly sympathetic to those who want to protect the Jewish homeland. As well as this, Bradford delves into Silltoe's literary and artistic liasions across mediums, perhaps most notably a long and close friendship with Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes. This is the third literary biography from RICHARD BRADFORD to be published by Peter Owen, the first two being the acclaimed works on Kingsley Amis and Philip Larkin. He is currently working on the authorised biography of Martin Amis (also for Peter Owen), scheduled to be published in 2009.

About this title

Product Description

This is the authorised biography of one of England's greatest living writers, author of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Written with exclusive access to Sillitoe's personal archive, it includes exciting new material on this most uncompromising of writers, including new revelations on his political beliefs and close friendships with the likes of Ted Hughes. Published to coincide with his 80th birthday year, this is one of the most significant literary biographies to be published in 2008

Review

Richard Bradford, Professor of English at the University of Ulster, has already written biographies of Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis, in each case however, when the subject was safely dead. He is now working on a biography surely a bit premature? of Martin Amis, but meanwhile here he is with a long, detailed, thorough, and agreeably sympathetic life of Alan Sillitoe. --The Scotsman

The Life of a Long-Distance Writer shows in penetrating detail, the two worlds of Sillitoe s fiction sometimes distinct, occasionally contending, at times seamlessly conjoined are replicated in his own career. In forging an aesthetic in which they could be brought together, he has also solved a problem with which practically every working-class writer sent south to storm the citadels of literary London has had to contend: how to stay close enough to the things that are worth writing about, while dealing with the consequences of your deracination. --Times Literary Supplement

Richard Bradford, professor of English at the University of Ulster, is making a nice corner in Fifties writers, having already written lives of Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis. Currently - leaping a generation - he is writing the authorised biography of Martin Amis. Bradford is a skilful analyst. He makes penetrating inquiries. At his shoulder is Sillitoe, giving him, evidently, candid answers to his questions and the book is soaringly intelligent and a most enjoyable read --Daily Telegraph

About this edition

• Publisher: Peter Owen Publishers
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0720613175
• ISBN 13: 9780720613179
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 510