{"product_id":"speak-well-of-me","title":"Speak Well Of Me","description":"\u003cp\u003eSir Ronald Harwood (1934-2020) was one of the most prolific playwrights and screenwriters of his generation. His acclaimed play, \u003ci\u003eThe Dresser\u003c\/i\u003e, has been constantly revived since its premiere in 1980 and has been adapted for both cinema and television, most recently the 2015 BBC production starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Ian McKellen. Harwood’s other notable film adaptations included Roman Polanski’s haunting depiction of life in the Warsaw Ghetto, \u003ci\u003eThe Pianist \u003c\/i\u003e(2002), Baz Luhrmann’s frontier epic, \u003ci\u003eAustralia \u003c\/i\u003e(2008), and Dustin Hoffman’s poignant celebration of old age, \u003ci\u003eQuartet \u003c\/i\u003e(2012). His many awards included an Oscar for \u003ci\u003eThe Pianist \u003c\/i\u003eand a BAFTA for \u003ci\u003eThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly \u003c\/i\u003e(2007).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpeak Well of Me \u003c\/i\u003eturns the focus onto Harwood himself. Based on extensive interviews with the playwright during his final years, the biography recounts Harwood’s gradual transformation from lacklustre South African schoolboy to doyen of theatreland and Hollywood. While dissecting each of his major works, the book candidly explores Harwood’s friendships with the likes of Harold Pinter, J. B. Priestley, André Previn, Sir Donald Wolfit (who inspired \u003ci\u003eThe Dresser\u003c\/i\u003e) and, most controversially, Roman Polanski. The result is a biography as gripping and morally complex as one of Harwood’s own dramas.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis new paperback edition includes memoirs and assessments of Harwood by Gyles Brandreth, Sir Tom Courtenay, Lady Antonia Fraser, Frederic Raphael, Sir Antony Sher and the playwright’s oldest friend, Gerald Masters.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57314681749886,"sku":"NW9781350254305","price":21.59,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9781350254305.jpg?v=1778714033","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/speak-well-of-me","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}