In this infinitely touching book, the actor Tom Courtenay tells the
story of his early life - up to his emergence as a 'star' in the
film The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner - making use in the
second half of the book of the letters written to him by his
mother, from his home in Hull, during his depressed and depressing
early days first as a student at University College in London, and
then at RADA. Understandably, publicity has concentrated on these
letters - which are a testimony to a remarkable, poorly educated
but naturally extremely intelligent woman, whose love for her son
shines through every line. The relatives, the friends, and above
all Tom's Dad, are brought as vividly to life as by any
professional author. But Courtenay's own narrative is equally
vivid, amusing and touching - this is a real story of achievement,
everywhere one looks, by parents striving to understand a son who
has decided on a perilously uncertain career, and a son
understanding their difficulty and concern. Apart from the story
itself, and his often extremely funny account of his schooldays,
Courtenay's book is a real contribution to the always fascinating
and difficult subject of the parent-child relationship. And though
it is pleasantly short of the usual actors' anecdotes, it is also a
useful record of how a boy from an under-privileged family in the
north managed to make himself into one of the most interesting and
accomplished actors in England. (Kirkus UK)
'I suppose my luck is You, Ann and Dad and more so if I could
really write.' Annie Eliza Courtenay Tom Courtenay was born in Hull
in 1937 and brought up near the fish dock where his father worked.
When he left home for university, his mother, Annie, wrote to him
every week and when her letters became more searching and more
intimate in response to Tom's unhappiness he kept every one, not
knowing that after her early death they were to become his most
treasured possession. Tom has selected the best of them to go in
this book and interwoven with them a portrait of what was going on
in his life at the time, in the heady days of the early Sixties
when successful young working-class actors were coming to the fore
for the first time. Annie's letters are astonishing - wise, funny,
with a natural instinct for words, but also deeply painful. She
knows she's worthy of a better, more creative life, but she hasn't
been given the chance. Partly a memoir of a working-class way of
life that has gone for ever, partly a powerfully moving record of
the love between mother and son, partly a portrait of the artist as
a young actor, Dear Tom is sure to excite admiration and delight in
equal measure.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
