Arts & Culture

Treasure Island sequel for Motion

Ashley Knight and Alfred Burke in the BBC's Treasure Island (1977)

A sequel to the adventure story Treasure Island is to be written by the former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion.

Robert Louis Stevenson originally wrote his tale of pirates, including Long John Silver, for his stepson in 1883.

Sir Andrew says it is one of his favourite books and that he wants to create a tale "packed with its own adventure, excitement and pathos".

Return to Treasure Island, which is due to be published in 2012, will return to the story a generation later.

‘Cries of delight’

Treasure Island ends with several pirates still marooned on the island, Long John Silver survives, and most of the loot remains in situ.

In Return to Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins lives with his son, Jim Junior, in a pub on the Thames outside London. Jim Junior is visited by a woman who turns out to be Long John Silver’s daughter.

She convinces Jim Junior to steal the original map of Treasure Island from his father and go on a trip organised by Silver so they can find the rest of the treasure.

Sir Andrew said: "Treasure Island is itself a treasure trove, and has long been a particular favourite.

"In my own book I want to create a world that is sympathetic to the original, but packed with its own adventure, excitement and pathos."

Dan Franklin, publisher at Jonathan Cape, said Motion’s sequel was a work of "literary ventriloquism".

"Anyone who loved Stevenson’s original will fall on this book with cries of delight. Indeed, I don’t think I have seen such enthusiasm for a book proposal from every department of the company."

There have already been several prequels and sequels to a story Stevenson originally wrote for his stepson Lloyd in 1883.

These include AD Howden Smith’s Porto Bello Gold in 1924 and Francis Bryan’s Curse of Treasure Island in 2001.

Treasure Island has also been adapted for the screen and stage on numerous occasions.

Although he is best known as the former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew has written three previous novels and several biographies.

He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1999 and Carol Ann Duffy was named his successor in 2009.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Treasure Island sequel for Motion

Ashley Knight and Alfred Burke in the BBC's Treasure Island (1977)

A sequel to the adventure story Treasure Island is to be written by the former Poet Laureate Sir Andrew Motion.

Robert Louis Stevenson originally wrote his tale of pirates, including Long John Silver, for his stepson in 1883.

Sir Andrew says it is one of his favourite books and that he wants to create a tale "packed with its own adventure, excitement and pathos".

Return to Treasure Island, which is due to be published in 2012, will return to the story a generation later.

‘Cries of delight’

Treasure Island ends with several pirates still marooned on the island, Long John Silver survives, and most of the loot remains in situ.

In Return to Treasure Island, Jim Hawkins lives with his son, Jim Junior, in a pub on the Thames outside London. Jim Junior is visited by a woman who turns out to be Long John Silver’s daughter.

She convinces Jim Junior to steal the original map of Treasure Island from his father and go on a trip organised by Silver so they can find the rest of the treasure.

Sir Andrew said: "Treasure Island is itself a treasure trove, and has long been a particular favourite.

"In my own book I want to create a world that is sympathetic to the original, but packed with its own adventure, excitement and pathos."

Dan Franklin, publisher at Jonathan Cape, said Motion’s sequel was a work of "literary ventriloquism".

"Anyone who loved Stevenson’s original will fall on this book with cries of delight. Indeed, I don’t think I have seen such enthusiasm for a book proposal from every department of the company."

There have already been several prequels and sequels to a story Stevenson originally wrote for his stepson Lloyd in 1883.

These include AD Howden Smith’s Porto Bello Gold in 1924 and Francis Bryan’s Curse of Treasure Island in 2001.

Treasure Island has also been adapted for the screen and stage on numerous occasions.

Although he is best known as the former Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew has written three previous novels and several biographies.

He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1999 and Carol Ann Duffy was named his successor in 2009.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Gomp/arts

‘Lost’ Booker: Should old books get prizes too?

Dame Muriel up for ‘lost’ Booker

Dame Muriel Spark and Nina Bawden

Dame Muriel Spark and Nina Bawden are among six authors of books published in 1970 which have been shortlisted for the "lost" Booker Prize.

The Booker was originally given to a book published in the previous year.

But since 1971 it has been given to the best novel of the current year so books published in 1970 were never eligible.

Books by JG Farrell, Shirley Hazzard, Mary Renault and Patrick White join Spark’s The Driver’s Seat and Bawden’s The Birds on the Trees on the list.

To reward the titles that "fell through the net", organisers decided to redress the balance 40 years on with a special award, the Lost Man Booker Prize.

See the shortlist

A longlist of 21 eligible titles was whittled down to six by three judges, journalist and critic Rachel Cooke, ITN newsreader Katie Derham, and poet and novelist Tobias Hill – all of whom were born in or around 1970.

The public will decide the winner by voting on the Man Booker Prize website. It will be announced on 19 May.

Booker Prize literary director Ian Trewin said the "very impressive" shortlist "still has resonance today".

Of those on the shortlist, Farrell won the Booker Prize in 1973 with The Siege of Krishnapur, while Dame Muriel – who died in 2006 – and Bawden have previously been shortlisted.

The Lost Man Booker Prize is the brainchild of Peter Straus, honorary archivist to the Booker Prize Foundation.

He discovered that Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies, was not considered for the prize in 1971 and, after an investigation, the gap in awards was revealed.

The full shortlist is:

The Birds on the Trees by Nina Bawden: The story of writer Maggie and journalist Charlie whose "middle-class security" is "shattered" by the expulsion from school of their eldest son.

Troubles by J G Farrell: An army major hides himself away in the "dim and shabby splendour" of a hotel in Ireland in 1919, unaware that "the struggle for independence is about to explode with brutal force".

The Bay of Noon by Shirley Hazzard: The "lonely and rootless" main character Jenny makes new friends in war-torn Naples, "gradually revealing to her the changing face of love".

Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault: The story of the "resolute, fearless" young Alexander the Great during "the years that shaped him".

The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark: Office worker Lise "leaves everything behind her, transforms herself into a laughing, garishly-dressed temptress and flies abroad on the holiday of a lifetime".

The Vivisector by Patrick White: Painter Hurtle Duffield dissects the weaknesses of "the men and women who court him during his long life" with "cruel precision". Only the "egocentric adolescent he sees as his spiritual child elicits from him a deeper, more treacherous emotion".

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This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Pristine Orwell book fetches £86,000

Down And Out In Paris And London

A rare signed first edition of George Orwell’s first full-length work has sold for £86,000 at auction.

The immaculate copy of Down And Out In Paris And London – complete with dust jacket – had a pre-sale guide price of £2,500-£3,500.

The book was purchased by a private client at Gorringes Auction House in Lewes, East Sussex.

Aaron Dean, book specialist at the auction house, said: "I would be shocked if it isn’t a record."

Inside the book, Orwell – whose real name was Eric Blair – wrote to his agent Leonard Moore: "With the author’s kind regards, to Mr LP Moore without whose kind assistance this book would never have been published. Eric Blair, 24.12.32."

Including the buyers premium, the book sold for a total of £101,050.

Mr Dean added: "The two things that were rare about this were that it was personally inscribed by the author with a nice little ditty.

"I was absolutely stunned, the room was absolutely stunned and the vendors, who were in the room, were thoroughly happy"

Aaron Dean, auctioneer

"Secondly, it had its dust jacket. No first editions of this book with dust jackets have been seen for 27 years.

"To put the significance of that in perspective, last year a copy which was not in great condition and didn’t have a dust jacket sold for £13,200.

"This one was an absolutely brilliant copy. The dust jacket had a little bit of wear and tear but, when you took it off, the book was in mint condition."

Mr Dean said there was strong bidding, with 10 people on the telephone, and it was bought by a man in the room.

He said: "I opened the bidding at £5,000 and someone immediately jumped in to take it to £15,000 and from there it bounced up to £86,000.

"I knew it would do well, I had a lot people who were hugely interested in it and the consensus was that it would reach somewhere between £30,000 and £40,000.

"But I wasn’t expecting that price. I was absolutely stunned, the room was absolutely stunned and the vendors, who were in the room, were thoroughly happy."

Down And Out In Paris And London is an autobiographical work by Orwell, split into two parts, on the theme of poverty in the two capital cities.

It was published in January 1933 by Victor Gollancz, after being rejected by two other major publishers.

Orwell, who died in 1950, went on to write two of the 20th century’s most famous novels, Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Rare manuscripts to be auctioned

A woman holds A Book of Hours, opulently illuminated for King Francois I

A collection of manuscripts previously owned by kings, bishops and members of the aristocracy is expected to fetch up to £16m when it is sold at auction.

Prayerbooks belonging to King Francois I of France and Elizabeth de Bohun, great-grandmother of King Henry V, are part of the collection.

The Arcana Collection: Exceptional Illuminated Manuscripts And Incunabula, will be sold at Christie’s in July.

Head of books and manuscripts Margaret Ford said: "They are masterpieces."

The manuscripts are owned by an anonymous collector in the US.

Christie’s said the businessman had spent three decades amassing the handwritten books, which feature illustrations and decorations painted in brilliant colours and gold.

Leading artists

The Arcana Collection: Exceptional Illuminated Manuscripts And Incunabula is thought to be the most valuable of its kind ever to be offered at auction.

Highlights include A Book Of Hours – a prayerbook intended for the private use of King Francois I of France, which is expected to fetch up to £500,000, and a 13th Century manuscript Bible produced in Italy, which has a pre-sale estimate of £2.5m – £3.5m.

woman holds a manuscript Bible produced in Italy in the middle of the 13th century

Ms Ford said: "This is a truly exceptional collection… They are masterpieces of medieval and Renaissance art, many commissioned by important patrons.

"Books Of Hours are among the most personal artworks. Used for private devotion, they were also intended to reflect the wealth and status of the owner and leading artists and craftsmen were engaged in their creation.

"The Arcana collection offers the best examples of their type, ranging from Books Of Hours to works of literature and on the natural world.

"The beauty of the page is often complemented by the importance of the text, exceptional, original condition, and interesting, even highly distinguished, subsequent ownership."

The manuscripts will go on public display from 3-7 July, alongside Christie’s auction of Old Masters and 19th Century Art.

The collection of 48 lots will go under the hammer on 7 July.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Gomp/arts

What do you do if you dig up some gold booty?

Bayreuth leader Wagner dies at 90

Wolfgang Wagner

Wolfgang Wagner, former director of the Bayreuth Festival and the grandson of composer Richard Wagner, has died aged 90 in Germany.

A statement on the festival’s website said that Wagner died on Sunday, but did not give further details.

"Wolfgang Wagner dedicated his whole life to the legacy of his grandfather," the festival website said.

Wagner stepped down as the event’s director in 2008 after leading it for for more than half a century.

Born on 30 August 1919 in Bayreuth, Wagner studied the trumpet and French horn before being sent to fight on the eastern front early in World War II.

He first took charge of the festival dedicated to his grandfather’s works in 1951, first with his brother Wieland, and then as the sole director from 1966 – with a lifetime contract.

Power struggle

In addition to increasing the funding and establishing a separate foundation to oversee the composer’s library, Wagner also invited directors from abroad to direct individual operas.

Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier

While many of the versions sparked controversy at the time, they were often groundbreaking interpretations of Richard Wagner’s operas, in keeping with his idea of broadening their meaning.

His insistence on serving out his lifetime contract led, in his later years, to a lengthy power struggle with officials who oversaw the annual summer event and also triggered a spat within the Wagner family.

For years, Wolfgang Wagner insisted that only his second wife, Gudrun, could replace him, although German government officials and others overseeing the festival refused to accept her.

By the time Gudrun died in November 2007, Wagner was insisting that only the couple’s daughter, Katharina, could fill his shoes – putting him at odds with two other Wagners who also sought the job.

After Wolfgang stepped aside in 2008, Katharina and Wolfgang’s long-estranged daughter from his first marriage, Eva Wagner-Pasquier, teamed up to beat out a rival bid from their cousin. They took charge of the festival last year.

Wagner is survived by his two daughters and a son, Gottfried. There was no immediate details of funeral arrangements.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Beat the rock ban

The Victoria and Albert Museum is holding its first ever exhibition of British quilts.

The exhibition features about 70 quilts dating from 1700 to the present day, including examples from the V&A’s unseen quilt collection as well as key national loans.

Highlights include a sumptuous silk and velvet bedcover dating back to the late 17th century, to more recent work by Grayson Perry and Tracey Emin. Commissions for the exhibition include work by contemporary artists including Sue Stockwell.

The exhibition, curated by Sue Pritchard, runs until 4 July.

Interview, photographs and production by Caroline Briggs.

Links

V&A
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Mountaintop takes Olivier honours

Katori Hall

US playwright Katori Hall has triumphed at the Laurence Olivier Awards, winning best new play for The Mountaintop.

The play, about the final hours of US civil rights activist Martin Luther King, beat Enron, Jerusalem and Red to take the honours.

Hall, 28, is the first black female playwright to win the award.

Rachel Weisz took the best actress honours for A Streetcar Named Desire, while Mark Rylance won best actor for his role in Jerusalem.

Rupert Goold won best director for Enron, Wicked picked up the audience award, and musical Spring Awakening took home four honours.

The cult hit, based on Wedekind’s play, won best new musical, best sound design for its run at the Novello Theatre and best actor in a musical and supporting honours for Aneurin Barnard and Iwen Rheon.

"The London theatre is a shining light in the continuing recessionary gloom"

Nica Burns, SOLT

The 34th Laurence Olivier Awards were held at Grosvenor House in London on Sunday.

Nica Burns, Society of London Theatre (SOLT) president, said: "The Olivier Awards reflect a year of outstanding creativity and production excellence which brought the public rushing to the theatre, taking box office and attendance records to an all-time high.

"The London theatre is a shining light in the continuing recessionary gloom – something we can all be proud of."

Strong year

Weisz’s co-star, Ruth Wilson, won best supporting actress for her performance as Stella, while Eddie Redmayne won best supporting actor for Red. He is currently reprising his role for the Broadway run of the show.

Last year was described as "particularly strong" for theatre revivals by award organisers.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof beat A Streetcar Named Desire, A View From The Bridge and The Misanthrope, Arcadia and Three Days of Rain to the best revival award, and Hello Dolly! took the honours for best musical revival.

Samantha Spiro won the best actress in a musical for the show from the Open Air Theatre.

In other honours, The Priory, by Michael Wynne, won best new comedy, and Tristan und Isolde won best new opera production for the Royal Opera House.

Full list of winners:

• Best actress – Rachel Weisz (A Streetcar Named Desire)

• Best actor - Mark Rylance (Jerusalem)

• Best actress in a supporting role – Ruth Wilson (A Streetcar Named Desire)

• Best actress in a supporting role – Eddie Redmayne (Red)

• Best new play – The Mountaintop (by Katori Hall)

• Best new comedy – The Priory (by Michael Wynne)

• Best musical revival – Hello Dolly!

• Best new musical - Spring Awakening

• Best entertainment – Morecambe

• Best actress (musical or entertainment) - Samantha Spiro (Hello Dolly!)

• Best actor (musical or entertainment) – Aneurin Barnard (Spring Awakening)

• Best supporting performance (musical or entertainment) - Iwan Rheon (Spring Awakening)

• Best director – Rupert Goold (Enron) ENRON at the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court and now at the Noel Coward

• Best revival – Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (directed by Debbie Allen)

• Best theatre choreographer – Stephen Mear (Hello Dolly!)

• Best lighting design – Burnt By The Sun (Mark Henderson)

• Best set design – Jerusalem (designed by Ultz)

• Best costume design – Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner)

• Best set design – Spring Awakening (Brian Ronan)

• Audience award – Wicked

• Best new opera – Tristan und Isolde (Royal Opera)

• Outstanding achievement (opera) - Nina Stemme (Tristan und Isolde)

• Best new dance – Goldberg: The Brandstrup Rojo Project

• Outstanding achievement (dance) – Rambert Dance Company

• Outstanding achievement (affiliate theatre) – The Royal Court for Cock

• Outstanding achievement award – Michael Codron

• SOLT Special Award – Dame Maggie Smith</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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