|
Armadillo (novel)
''Armadillo'' is William Boyd's seventh novel, published in 1998. It was the first of his novels to be based in Britain. Boyd also wrote the screenplay for a BBC/ A&E television adaptation in 2001. Plot introduction The story concerns Lorimer Black, a successful loss adjuster. His original name is Milomre Blocj and he comes from a family of Transnistrian gypsies who arrived in London in 1957 and set up an import-export business linked to Eastern Europe. They now run a taxi cab firm and are always borrowing money off Milo (as they still call him). Lorimer suffers from insomnia and spends many nights at the "Institute for Lucid Dreaming" in search for a cure. He collects antique helmets, listens to African music and is having an affair with Stella Bull, the owner of a scaffolding company. The book includes extracts taken from Lorimer's journal ''The Book of Transfiguration,'' in which he philosophizes on his situation and quotes from Gerard de Nerval. Hogg, Lorimer's overbearing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Boyd (writer)
William Andrew Murray Boyd (born 7 March 1952) is a British novelist, short story writer screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his novels, which include '' A Good Man in Africa'' (1981), '' Any Human Heart'' (2002), and '' Restless'' (2006), many of which have received critical acclaim and literary awards. Boyd has also written screenplays for film and television, including ''Chaplin'' (1992), and directed the World War I drama '' The Trench'' (1999). His work is characterised by its narrative vitality and range, earning him numerous accolades including the Whitbread First Novel Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Costa Book Award. A number of his works are what he describes as "whole-life" novels which follow a protagonist through the highs and lows of a varied and often remarkable life. He regularly fuses fact with fiction and his lead characters encounter well-known historical figures. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of the longest-running newspapers in the United States, the ''Times'' serves as one of the country's Newspaper of record, newspapers of record. , ''The New York Times'' had 9.13 million total and 8.83 million online subscribers, both by significant margins the List of newspapers in the United States, highest numbers for any newspaper in the United States; the total also included 296,330 print subscribers, making the ''Times'' the second-largest newspaper by print circulation in the United States, following ''The Wall Street Journal'', also based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' is published by the New York Times Company; since 1896, the company has been chaired by the Ochs-Sulzberger family, whose current chairman and the paper's publ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novels Set In London
A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ''novellus'', diminutive of ''novus'', meaning 'new'. According to Margaret Doody, the novel has "a continuous and comprehensive history of about two thousand years", with its origins in the Ancient Greek and Roman novel, Medieval Chivalric romance, and the tradition of the Italian Renaissance novella.Margaret Anne Doody''The True Story of the Novel'' New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1996, rept. 1997, p. 1. Retrieved 25 April 2014. The ancient romance form was revived by Romanticism, in the historical romances of Walter Scott and the Gothic novel. Some novelists, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ann Radcliffe, and John Cowper Powys, preferred the term ''romance''. Such romances should not be confused with th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1998 British Novels
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil in permanently shadowed craters near the Moon's poles. * January 11 – Over 100 people are killed in the Sidi-Hamed massacre in Algeria. * January 12 – Nineteen European nations agree to forbid human cloning. * January 17 – The ''Drudge Report'' breaks the story about U.S. President Bill Clinton's alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky, which will lead to the Impeachment of Bill Clinton, House of Representatives' impeachment of him. February * February 3 – Cavalese cable car disaster (1998), Cavalese cable car disaster: A United States military pilot causes the deaths of 20 people near Trento, Italy, when his low-flying EA-6B Prowler severs the cable of a cable-car. * February 4 – The 5.9 February 1998 Afghanistan earthquake, Afghani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish Novels
The novel in Scotland includes all long prose fiction published in Scotland and by Scottish authors since the development of the literary format in the eighteenth century. The novel was soon a major element of Scottish literary and critical life. Tobias Smollett's picaresque novels, such as ''The Adventures of Roderick Random'' and ''The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle'' mean that he is often seen as Scotland's first novelist. Other Scots who contributed to the development of the novel in the eighteenth century include Henry Mackenzie and John Moore. There was a tradition of moral and domestic fiction in the early nineteenth century that included the work of Elizabeth Hamilton, Mary Brunton and Christian Johnstone. The outstanding literary figure of the early nineteenth century was Walter Scott, whose '' Waverley'' is often called the first historical novel. He had a major worldwide influence. His success led to a publishing boom in Scotland. Major figures that benefited includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Fox
James William Fox (born William Fox; 19 May 1939) is an English actor known for his work in film and television. Fox's career began in the 1960s through roles in films such as '' The Servant'' and ''Performance''. He is also known for his roles in '' A Passage to India'' in 1984 and '' The Remains of the Day'' in 1993. In the 1970s, Fox took a break from acting to focus on personal and spiritual matters, returning to acting in the early 1980s. Over time, he built a reputation for playing a variety of roles, including upper-class figures and more serious characters. He is a member of the Fox family of actors. Early life Fox was born on 19 May 1939 in London, the second son of theatrical agent Robin Fox and actress Angela Worthington. His elder brother is actor Edward Fox and his younger brother is film producer Robert Fox. His maternal grandfather was playwright Frederick Lonsdale. Fox applied successfully to study acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Care ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams (born 10 November 1963), known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey'' from 2010 to 2015. His performance on the show earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He reprised his role in the feature films ''Downton Abbey'' (2019) and '' Downton Abbey: A New Era'' (2022). He also appeared in the films ''Notting Hill'' (1999), '' Iris'' (2001), '' The Monuments Men'' (2014), and the ''Paddington'' films (2014–present). For ''Iris'', Bonneville received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, which was followed by four nominations in the BAFTA Award for Best Male Comedy Performance category for portraying Ian Fletcher in ''Twenty Twelve'' (2011-2012) and ''W1A'' (2014-2017). Earl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Rea
Stephen Rea ( ; born October 31, 1946) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he began his career as a member of Dublin's Focus Theatre, and played many roles on the stage and on Irish television. He came to the attention of international film audiences in Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan's 1992 film ''The Crying Game'', and subsequently starred in many more of Jordan's films, including ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1994), '' Michael Collins'' (1996), '' Breakfast on Pluto'' (2005), and ''Greta'' (2018). He also played a starring role in the Hugo Blick 2011 TV series '' The Shadow Line''. As a stage actor, he is known for his performances at The Gate and Abbey theatres in Dublin, and the Royal Court Theatre in London. He is a co-founder of the Field Day Theatre Company with Brian Friel. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for ''The Crying Game'' (1992), and won a BAFTA Award for his role in '' The Honourable Woman'' in 2015. In 2020, ''The Iri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catherine McCormack
Catherine Jane McCormack (born April 3, 1972) is an English actress. Her film appearances include ''Braveheart'' (1995), '' The Land Girls'' (1998), '' Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' (1998), ''Spy Game'' (2001), and ''28 Weeks Later'' (2007). Her theatre work includes National Theatre productions of ''All My Sons'' (2000) and ''Honour'' (2003). Early life McCormack was born in Epsom, Surrey, England. She is of part Irish ancestry as one of her grandfathers was Irish. Her mother died of lupus when McCormack was six years old and her steelworker father subsequently raised her and her brother Stephen.Duerden, NickCatherine McCormack: The play's the thing ''The Independent'', 10 August 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2009. She was brought up as Roman Catholic and attended the Convent of Our Lady of Providence. She went on to study at the Oxford School of Drama. Career Film McCormack's screen debut was as the lead in the Anna Campion-directed film '' Loaded ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Frain
James Frain is an English actor. His best known television roles include Thomas Cromwell in the Showtime/CBC historical drama ''The Tudors'' (2007–2009), Franklin Mott in the HBO drama ''True Blood'' (2010), Warwick the Kingmaker in the BBC drama serial '' The White Queen'' (2013), John Sumner in the Sky/ Canal+ crime drama '' The Tunnel'' (2013), Ferdinand Chevalier in the BBC/Space sci-fi thriller ''Orphan Black'' (2015–2017), Theo Galavan/Azrael in Fox's '' Gotham'' (2015–2016), and Sarek in '' Star Trek: Discovery'' (2017–2019). In film, he is best known for playing Daniel Barenboim and Álvaro de la Quadra in the biographical dramas '' Hilary and Jackie'' and '' Elizabeth'', respectively (both 1998), Bassianus in the Shakespeare adaptation ''Titus'' (1999), and Gérard de Villefort in the historical drama ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (2002). Early life and education James Frain was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and brought up in Stansted Mount ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sue Birtwistle
Susan Elizabeth Birtwistle, Lady Eyre, (born 9 December 1945) is a producer and writer of television drama. Birtwistle has won awards for several of her productions, including '' Hotel du Lac'', ''Pride and Prejudice'' and '' Emma'', and was one of the nominees for the 2008 BAFTA Awards for her production of '' Cranford''. Early life Birtwistle was born in Northwich, Cheshire, England, and attended Northwich County Grammar School for Girls (now The County High School, Leftwich). She studied drama and English at Coventry College of Education (became part of the University of Warwick). Career Birtwistle is known for producing costume dramas. Partial filmography as producer *''Oi For England'' *'' Educating Marmalade'', 1982–83 * ''Dutch Girls'', 1985 * '' Hotel du Lac'', 1986 * ''Scoop'', 1987 * '' Ball Trap on the Cote Sauvage'', 1989 * ''Or Shall We Die?'' * ''v.'' * ''Pride and Prejudice'', 1995 * '' Emma'', 1996 * ''Armadillo'' * ''King Lear'' * '' Wives and Daughters'', 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
