The brilliant thing about this whole structure is the way the banalities of life are turned into rhyming ditties and entries in the diary which are so wonderful to read. Most people's diaries would be quite boring I suspect, but Brian's life is just so fraught with calamity and misunderstanding that the banal becomes interesting, even though it's not dramatic. He just ploughs on hoping for the best.

Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston review - The Guardian

Glorious. I will be astonished if I read a more original, more inventive or funnier novel this year.' - Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to Hurt Matthew has two sons and a step-daughter and lives in London and Suffolk with his wife. [ citation needed] Bibliography [ edit ]

Popular Sections

Stāsts pats varbūt ir diezgan vienkāršs (un mietpilsonisks kā mūsu vairākuma dzīves), bet dzejas rindas ir burvīgas, smieklīgas un ar dažādām lieliskām atsaucēm. Un bija jauks un negaidīts sižeta pavērsiens. Un skaisti par to, kā bieži vien vieglāk ir rakstīt, nekā runāt, kā reizēm vārdu ir par daudz, kā var nepietikt ar visu gudro vārdu zināšanu.

Diary of a Somebody review – stunning drama from Joe Orton’s

Taken verbatim from Joe Orton's private and often explicit diaries, this raucous and poignant new production is directed by Nico Rao Pimparé ( The Start of Nothing, 2020; Rainer, Arcola Theatre; Candy, King’s Head Theatre). The cast is completed by Jemma Churchill ( Doctor Who, BBC; Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, NewVic Theatre; NATIVITY! The Musical, UK tour), Jamie Zubairi ( Cucumber, Why The Lion Danced, Yellow Earth; The Letter; Wyndham'sTheatre), Sorcha Kennedy ( Rainer; Arcola Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors; Petersfield Festival, Sam Wanamaker Festival; Shakespeare's Globe) and Ryan Rajan Mal, making his stage debut.Dawn French Achingly funny. Without doubt it should win next year's Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse prize for the best comic novel, even if my own novel is in contention as well He contributed scripts to the ITV series, The Good Guys with Nigel Havers and Keith Barron, and a stage play, Summoned by Betjeman, starring Robert Daws, was performed at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, the Royal Theatre, Northampton, and Clwyd Theatr Cymru.

Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston | Waterstones

Dylan comes across as quite sensible, intelligent and often seems to be the father figure in his and Brian’s relationship. Does Dylan think Brian is a good dad? Do you? Is poetry something that you normally read or was Diary a departure for you? If the latter, has Diary inspired you to read more poetry? Set almost exclusively in the room shared by the two men, the design centred around the partners’ shared single bed. Designed by Valentine Gigandet, the set, though clearly on a tight budget, worked well against the whirlwind of action, with faux classical statues staring blankly at the audience. The walls were covered with Halliwell’s decadent and unprosperous collages, being at once contemporary and a little creepy. I am sure that this is because when other people are laughing because someones fallen flat on their face I am going "ouch that must have hurt". In this case the person hurt is not the hero clown (who is seems blissfully unaware of how dysfunctional he is). Rather its his son who is hurt when he forgets his 16th birthday, his employers when he hides his complete incompetence, a mob of suppliers who go unpaid when he wastes all his redundancy money. He never finishes a book for his book club. He robs the fellow members of his poetry club. He completely confuses the poor woman who finds him attractive. Brian Bilston has decided to write a poem every day for a year while he tries to repair his ever-desperate life. His ex-wife has taken up with a new man, a marketing guru and motivational speaker who seems to be disturbingly influencing his son, Dylan. Meanwhile Dylan’s football team keeps being beaten 0–11, as he stands disconsolately on the wing waiting vainly to receive the ball. At work Brian is drowning in a sea of spreadsheets and is becoming increasingly confused by the complexities of modern communication and management jargon. So poetry will be his salvation. But can Brian’s poetry save him from Toby Salt, his arch nemesis in the Poetry Group and potential rival suitor to Brian’s new poetic inspiration, Liz? Worst of all Toby has announced that boutique artisan publishing house Shooting from the Hip will be publishing his first collection, titled This Bridge No Hands Shall Cleft, in the autumn. And when he goes missing Brian is inevitably the number one suspect.

Your subscription helps ensure our journalism can continue

You can donate to the charity of your choice, but if you're looking for inspiration, there are three charities we really like. The writing is so funny, witty and dry. I spent much of the book smiling, sniggering and giggling. I kept thinking that when I write my review I must mention this poem or that one but then I'd read the next one and think the same thing. They're all worthy of a mention, although I thought the excel spreadsheet one was particularly clever and I did enjoy singing My Favourite Words to the tune of My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music!