The Dreams of William Golding. Sat March 17th on BBC2 TV 9.30 pm

[Hornspieler]

Did John Carey have access to these pix?

Not to my knowledge, but everyone who took part in that broadcast received a copy of the commemorative programme, so it is most probable that I am not the only person to have kept it. (I have not seen Carey's biog and was quite unaware of it until it was mentioned on this thread.

Roll on tomorrow night - and the discussion that (I hope) will follow.

HS

[salymap]

Morning HS, I see that the b/w film of Lord of the Flies, made in 1963, is to follow the Arena programme.

I shall endeavour to get both recorded to watch later. {Peter Brook's celebrated adaptation, it says}

[vinteuil]

the b/w film of Lord of the Flies, made in 1963, is to follow the Arena programme.

... {Peter Brook's celebrated adaptation, it says}

... with, if I recall, a young Martin Amis as one of the boys.

[DracoM]

Brook told WG that his timescale of the descent into murderous savagery by the boys in the book was way too long judging by what he saw in the cast as they filmed LoF.

[Hornspieler]

Today's Daily Telegraph:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9142869/William-Golding-A-frighteningly-honest-writer.html

HS

[DracoM]

And some 'lovely' comments attached as well. If I ever needed reasons for not reading the Graff, perusing the comments alone would suffice.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Nothing new to add, but I'd like to say that, if there were For3 prizes for the "Best Threads of the Year", this one would go straight to the top of my list. Not only have I learnt so much and seen historic documents not otherwise available, but it's returned me to those fantastic novels that I've neglected in recent years.

Many thanks to HS and to everyone who's contributed.

Best Wishes.

[amateur51]

Nothing new to add, but I'd like to say that, if there were For3 prizes for the "Best Threads of the Year", this one would go straight to the top of my list. Not only have I learnt so much and seen historic documents not otherwise available, but its returned me to those fantastic novels that I've neglected in recent years.

Many thanks to HS and to everyone who's contributed.

Best Wishes.

Seconded fhg

[ardcarp]

I see that the b/w film of Lord of the Flies, made in 1963, is to follow the Arena programme

...will it be uncut, I wonder (!)

[salymap]

The film is listed in the RT as from 11pm to 12.30am and includes the warning PG, presumably Parents and Guardians so seems intact. The Dreams of William Golding beings at 9.30pm All on BBC2. Enjoy!

[Hornspieler]

I found myself very moved by this programme, because it made me realise just what I owed, not just in terms of my ability to write and compose poetry, but also what I learned , without realising at the time, from his philosophy and how my adult life has developed (some might say regressed) as a result of his influence, albeit unknown to me at the time.
Like him, I have never suffered fools gladly and have always been reaching for something that maybe is unreachable.
As George Hurst said on one occasion; "What is it with this guy? Is he some sort of a cynic?"

Yes, I suppose I probably am, though I prefer to label myself 'Pragmatic' (George and I have become very good friends over the years and I still see him occasionally)

Anyway, I confess that I was not expecting too much from the programme and I was very happy that my fears were unfounded.

Well done, BBC, for a programme that was unbiased but honest and very informative.

HS

[ardcarp]

HS I do not have your personal connection, obviously, but I too was moved by the programme...and yes, good, honest, well-constructed programmes can still be made without silly presenter/producer whims. Alas I dozed off in the final 10 mins...so will re-take that and the B&W LOTF when I have time. Glad to discover WG was a sailor...a passion I share. Being on watch alone in the English Channel at night is, believe me, a spiritual experience, and puts a lot of things about the world, life and everything into perspective.

[Chris Newman]

I taught English at Hs's old school in the late seventies and eighties. William Golding very occasionally dropped into the staffroom to chat with old colleagues like Mr Trewhella (who although retired occasionally acted as a supply teacher) and Austin Underwood (who taught metal and woodwork). I knew of WG having read several of his books as part of my studies when a student. When I first saw WG I was rather fascinated that in the flesh he looked like a much older version of a Golding who had been a PE student teacher when I was at college. One day, WG was giving a talk to the fifth and sixth formers in the school chapel. He had just received the Tait award for Darkness Visible and Rites of Passage had just been published. The then Head of English, James Bradnock, introduced me to "Bill Golding". I asked him about his young doppleganger who turned out to be a nephew from Cornwall. He had never revealed being a relative of WG. There was one question that WG refused to answer after his talk. Someone asked about Free Fall and WG replied "I refuse to talk about that book". When he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature Salisbury Arts Centre arranged for him to give a talk and readings of passages from books. At the end someone asked about Free Fall and received the same reply.

I remember well the spire of the cathedral which dominated the view out of windows in many classrooms. The classroom where HS took his clandestine photographs in what is known as No 11 The Close has hardly changed since HS's day as was plain to see during John Cox's lesson in last night's film. In my day it was known as the sixth form common room.

[salymap]

Thanks Chris, knowing of your connections with BWS, somewhat later than HS's schooldays, rounds out the story nicely.
I confess to knowing very little of WG but thought the programme well done and hearing from his children was so much more satisfactory than a bland BBC commentary, although I enjoyed the Melvyn Bragg interviews with Golding.

Thanks a lot to you and HS for a fascinating thread.

[Hornspieler]

Thanks Chris, knowing of your connections with BWS, somewhat later than HS's schooldays, rounds out the story nicely.
I confess to knowing very little of WG but thought the programme well done and hearing from his children was so much more satisfactory than a bland BBC commentary, although I enjoyed the Melvyn Bragg interviews with Golding.

Thanks a lot to you and HS for a fascinating thread.

Kind words, Salymap, but I don't think we've reached the end of this thread yet. I would hope to see a lot more comment; both for and against the programme.**

HS

** To me, the showing of the LOTF film is a separate topic and not relevant to this discussion, but feel free to comment on its merits.
My own impression is that WG did not like it particularly and for myself, once I have read a book and created in my mind the setting and the characterisation, I prefer not to look at "another man's version"