Free delivery on qualified orders. Paired with The Orton Diaries, is the first-ever radio production of Loot - his hilarious, black masterpiece - first broadcast by Radio 3 for the 30th anniversary of his death. The Orton Diaries by Joe Orton (2013-06-27): Books - Amazon.ca. It could've been a well-written novel rather than a set of true diaries. I'll have to read Prick Up Your Ears too. the most interesting last six months of anyone's life. No Kindle device required. Find all the books, read about the author and more. The Orton diaries by Orton, Joe. Prime members enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping, Free Same-Day or One-Day Delivery to select areas, Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, and more. I knew little of Orton, his plays or his life apart from the fact he was gay and the diaries were notoriously explicit. By contrast, Joe Orton's diaries were written by an exceptionally talented young writer - working class, gay - at the absolute height of his powers. The ‘juvenile’ diaries were written between 1949 and 1951 and his mature diaries from 1966 and 1967. It was so different and raw from the happy go lucky books all around me. Car­lo… ONE DAY in November 1985 Kenneth Williams was invited to read excerpts from the soon-to-be-published diary of his friend Joe Orton. In the end, I decided the Tangier diaries weren't fantasy, but an accounting of months of seeking and attaining the sexual services of children. I've owned a copy of these diaries for many years, bought this copy as a birthday present and the recipient was over the moon. The first, his ‘juvenile’ diary, covered his last years in Leicester and first two months at RADA. Read this book ages ago and I am currently re-reading it. It seems like Orton was a bit of a shit, but I can't help but be captivated by his diaries. One of my heroes, so cannot rate it high enough. I didn't realise how much. add to cart "To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich and happy is surely going against nature." Knowing this means allowing for some self aggrandizing however Orton died before he had a chance to edit it, though he may have edited as he we. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. I'm not sure how long he could have gone on, denying his own need for and others' need for love. The introduction by John Lahr is well-written and the footnotes are informative. Please try your request again later. In fact, as slavishly documented (esp.) Joe Orton lived a wild, mad life, full of sex and violence, and it informed his plays. I loved it. Every detail is there, from the confines of the small London flat to the freedom of Tangier. The stories were so different than what was required in school. Paperback | August 22, 1996. Joe Orton in 1966 Credit: Hulton O n its initial three-week West End run in 1964, the play, a timeless study of man's capacity for cruelty, received mixed reviews. It's kind of a one-sided view of an increasingly unhealthy relationship. It's true that some of his sexual exploits are detailed quite graphically (and sometimes hilariously) here, but it's his unique perspective and insight which makes the diaries so compelling. The Edna Welthorpe letters at the end are hysterical. He would have crashed and burned with his own nihilistic hedonism at some point (perhaps when his career was turning down?). Entertaining, bitchy, slightly prophetic, in hindsight of course, of the brutal death and destruction to come, the murder of playwright Joe Orton by his lover Kenneth Halliwell and Halliwell's suicide directly after. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published John Lahr does an outstanding job of editing the diaries of an interesting man who was butchered in his sleep by the one person he was nothing without. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2019. It was also a major surprise how it ended. The Orton Diaries: Joe Orton: 9780060914981: Books - Amazon.ca. This diary is a record by Joe Orton of the days leading up to his death at the hands of long time lover Kenneth Halliwell. The candid and sensational diaries of the brilliant 34-year-old playwright Joe Orton, written six months before he was murdered by his lover in 1967. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. It was so different and raw from the happy go lucky books all around me. The introduction, footnotes, photographs, etc are very interesting and informative. One cannot help but think that this is another example of a young and talented writer who was a victim of the times in which he lived. It was also a major surprise how it ended. Generally I love reading people's journels or diaries, and Joe Orton wrote a diary that is a masterpiece. However, their common interests led to a lengthy romantic relationship. The screenplay was written by Alan Bennett, based on the biography by John Lahr. Free shipping for many products! Overall, this re-reading of The Orton Diaries opposes the narrative of tragic queerness that typically defines Orton’s life, casting new light on the Orton-Halliwell relationship and on the diary as a form of queer protest. Welcome back. But the journals document a remarkable final year starting in December 1966. This is a well presented book. Joe Orton was a pedo, arrogant, conceited, racist and nasty. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Orton Diaries at Amazon.com. It could've been a well-written novel rather than a. Refresh and try again. "To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich. Little did he know the circumstances under which they would be. An excellent book about a brilliant yet unpleasant character, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2017. Tangiers in the 1960's was a paedophile's paradise and please God, it no longer exists as such. All that said, The Orton Diaries as well as bio Prick Up Your Ears and play, Diary of A Somebody both by John Lahr are amazing as well. Islington, 9 August 1967. The adjective Ortonesque is now used to refer to something characterised by a dark but farcical cynicism. Also an incredible inside look in Gay culture as well. It's kind of a one-sided view of an increasingly unhealthy relationship. Just from the sound of him, I liked him immensely. A friend once said of Orton he didn't have a heart, but what was there instead was surprisingly warm and compassionate at times. In fact, as slavishly documented (esp.) Both men were struggling actors who became struggling writers. $19.76 online. I read this as a teenager mostly because it was naughty! When the opportunity to read his diaries came along, I snapped it up. Live hard, die young? I had to hide it from my parents because it was "subversive". His diary was written in the last eight months (January-August 1967) of his short life and is spontaneous and very funny, and at the same time that he wrote two highly successful plays, as well as revising others. save 14 % In stock online. Joe Orton's diaries (in 3 parts) ultimately bring about a feeling of embarrassment for a certain circle of 'my people'. They were clearly a couple of bastards. by Joe Orton. His short life involved hit plays of outrageous farce, work with the Beatles, and inumerous actors, producers, and directors. Be the first to ask a question about The Orton Diaries. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Orton, Joe-Orton Diaries (UK IMPORT) BOOK NEW at the best online prices at eBay! I'll put it this way: if you believe sex is what happens in a Jennifer Aniston movie, then burn this book. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. 1 Curtis: Those Awful Orton Diaries Published by DigitalCommons@SHU, 1987 Of course, the irony is that Orton - highly intelligent and self-aware - did not see that the growing depression of his partner, Kenneth Halliwell, would lead to their deaths. I had to hide it from my parents because it was "subversive". in the second section (written in Tangier), sexual activity of the insatiable reads as tedious. It's true that some of his sexual exploits are detailed quite graphically (and sometimes hilariously) here, but it's his unique perspective and insight which makes the diaries so compelling. This diary is a record by Joe Orton of the days leading up to his death at the hands of long time lover Kenneth Halliwell. Too many recent diaries by politicians (e.g. But as a document, as a piece of writing, it is unusual, biting, funny. He would have crashed and burned with his own nihilistic hedonism at some point (perhaps when his career was turning down?). Publication date 1996 Topics Orton, Joe -- Diaries, Dramatists, English -- 20th century -- Diaries Publisher Da Capo Press Collection inlibrary; printdisabled; internetarchivebooks; china Digitizing sponsor Kahle/Austin Foundation Contributor Internet Archive Language English. I like reading journals and this is a cracker, the descriptions of people, places is wonderful. in the second section (written in Tangier), sexual activity of the insatiable reads as tedious. Throughout the diary, you witness Joe Orton's ability to present characters, fully developed in very few lines. When Joe Orton (1933-1967) wrote those words in his diary in May 1967, he was being hailed as the greatest comic playwright since Oscar Wilde for his darkly hilarious Entertaining Mr. Sloane and the farce hit Loot, and was completing What the Butler Saw; but less than three months later, his longtime companion, Kenneth Halliwell, smashed Orton's skull in with a hammer before killing himself. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. When Joe Orton (1933–1967) wrote those words in his diary in May 1967, he was being hailed as the greatest comic playwright since Oscar Wilde for his darkly hilarious Entertaining Mr. Sloane and the farce hit Loot, and was completing What the Butler Saw; but less than Nearly lost bladder control while reading some of the episodes featuring Kenneth Williams. Orton and Halliwell used young boys for their own gratification little thinking of the damage they were inflicting on them. I watched a lot of documentaries on the 1960s when I was younger, and came across many stories of Joe Orton. There are flashes of great insight and the diaries are often laugh out loud funny. The writing is of a caliber I rarely encounter anymore. The varied extremes of their shared social life, from glamorous parties with famous names such as Rudolf Nureyev and Williams's good friend, the … Film celebrating the wit, work and world of groundbreaking 1960s playwright Joe Orton in his own words and those of friends and colleagues. It is brutally honest, sexually graphic, shocking and uncomfortable to read at times but is also a rivetting record of the two men's relationship and their social and private lives. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Joe Orton and/or Kenneth Halliwell. "To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich, and happy is surely going against nature". As a diary, there is a fair amount of the mundane -- which is rather enjoyable. 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