Author visits
2 = 4
On Thursday March 20th Dulwich College played host to the present day voice of Raymond Chandler and his biographer.
Booker Prize-winning Irish author John Banville has written several stories under the name of Benjamin Black, including the recent ‘Black Eyed Blonde’. In this work Banville brings us more adventures of Philip Marlowe who was the creation of one of our most famous OAs, Raymond Chandler. Tom Williams, is the author of a biography of Raymond Chandler ‘A Mysterious Something in the Light’ and a rapt audience listened to the two men in conversation as they discussed topics ranging from modern crime fiction writing to which actor would make a good Philip Marlowe today.
Banville’s take on modern crime fiction writing struck a chord with many in the audience. Identifying a lack of “grace and elegance” in the language of many best-selling authors, Banville suggested the more chivalric elements that Chandler’s Marlowe embodied were lacking amongst the blood and guts of contemporary writers. Banville also highlighted the “slightly dandified” language of not only Chandler but one of DC’s other famous authors, P. G. Wodehouse and it was interesting to hear these strong opinions on the way writing has evolved over time.
On the theme of a 24/7, rolling news world where we’re used to seeing big screen adaptations of great literary works Banville was asked which actor he thought would make a good Philip Marlowe. Tom Williams mentioned that Chandler’s choice for Marlowe on screen was Cary Grant and Banville’s 21st century preference was for George Clooney for his ability to portray the melancholy of Marlowe’s solitary character.
There was much to enjoy on this evening of gentle conversation that was humorous and thought-provoking and we extend our thanks to Dulwich Books for the opportunity to work with them on bringing these two fascinating writers together.
This entry was posted in Author visits and tagged author visits, John Banville.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes
On Thursday 6th November, the College was extremely privileged to host an afternoon talk by Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Visiting on the launch date of his new book “Cold”, Sir Ranulph spoke in great detail about his experiences in brutally cold environments, offering advice for aspiring explorers. Described as “the world’s greatest living explorer” by the Guinness Book of World Records, Sir Ranulph was first to reach both the North and South Poles and first to circumnavigate the world along its polar axis. In 2003 he completed the first 7x7x7 (seven marathons in seven consecutive days on all seven continents), illustrating his versatility in a number of different environments.
BBC Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb and Sixth Former Michael Godson interviewed Sir Ranulph and questions were taken from the floor. Some of the most interesting questions included; “what has been your most dangerous experience?” to which Sir Ranulph recounted his loss of several fingers to frostbite on a solo expedition. Overall, the interview went very smoothly and with an approximate attendance of around 400 people, it was a very successful evening for the promotion of the Geography Society as well as giving the boys the opportunity to meet Sir Ranulph Fiennes in person and have a book signed by him.
Many thanks to Mr Fletcher and Miss Woolley for organising the event in conjunction with Dulwich Books and the publisher Simon and Schuster.
John Reed
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This entry was posted in Author visits and tagged author visits, Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
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