Arguments with England

(Paperback, Main)

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The original edition received amazing review coverage across the national press A delightful memoir from one of the most acclaimed and influential theatre directors of the post - war era Blakemore has worked with all the greats - from the fifties to the modern day, from Shakespeare to musical theatre Will appeal to fans of Richard Eyre's National Service

Reviews

"'This beautifully written book by the director Michael Blakemore puts most such volumes to shame. It is full of both sharp insights and sudden shafts of wisdom. Often wonderfully funny, it is also touching and painfully honest. By the time you have finished Arguments with England, the author feels like an unusually wise and sympathetic friend: Sunday Telegraph 'Some of the most exhilarating writing about theatre ever committed to paper, a beady and original analysis of Britain (and incidentally British theatre) in the '50s and '60s, a profound account of the evolution of modern Australia, and a darkly frank one of the inner life of its author. His arguments with England are in the end arguments with himself, but they are utterly engrossing.' Simon Callow, Guardian"

Author Bio

Michael Blakemore arrived in the UK from Australia in 1950 and his first fifteen years in the theatre were spent as an actor. During this period he wrote his novel about an actor's life, Next Season. He began directing at the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre and his first London success, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, transferred from there. Laurence Olivier then asked him to become an Associate Director of the National Theatre.


His work has embraced new plays by dramatists as diverse as Arthur Miller, David Hare, Peter Schaffer, Don DeLillo, David Mamet and David Williamson. He directed four of Peter Nichols' early successes, and the premieres of seven plays by Michael Frayn. His most recent productions are Democracy and Three Sisters.