It is Joe Orton's diary, annotated with letters and pertinent quotes from friends and family. Loot is a black comedy and a satire on arbitrary authority in which Orton blisteringly turns the police, death and religion into ironic farce. Joe Orton died 46 years ago today. He emerges however as a hauntingly lonely and tragic figure, and Orton as someone oblivious to the pain his lover was suffering and his, Orton's, own contribution to it. Speedreading is a useful skill, and one that in adulthood I have never managed to master. Skip to main content. He would have crashed and burned with his own nihilistic hedonism at some point (perhaps when his career was turning down?). Joe Orton gives us one last masterpiece in his diaries. John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known under the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author and diarist. 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. John Lahr's bi­og­ra­phy of Orton, en­ti­tled Prick Up Your Ears (a title Orton him­self had con­sid­ered using), was pub­lished in 1978. An excellent book about a brilliant yet unpleasant character, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2017. His assessments of American society were amazingly still apt all these decades later. Something went wrong. I still look back on Joe Orton and this book with fondness. This book was put together by John Lahr(The Cowardly Lions Son)the diary consists not only of his own diary but also of letters that were uncovered that he wrote to family and friends.It is an excellent insight to this playwright and his turbulant life.It was also the basis of the book and movie Prick Up His Ear. I watched a lot of documentaries on the 1960s when I was younger, and came across many stories of Joe Orton. Paperback | August 22, 1996. As a diary, there is a fair amount of the mundane -- which is rather enjoyable. Joe's narcissism was obvious in his diaries. A gay man in 1960's London, when it was not fashionable to "come out," Orton was always true to himself and to his desires (as awful as they were). The stories were so different than what was required in school. Find all the books, read about the author and more. Joe was a brilliant, creative, cutting-edge playwright who was just coming into his own when he was killed violently by his long-time partner. I've read this three times over the years. Tami Charles is a former teacher and the author of picture books, middle grade and young adult novels, and nonfiction. Joe Orton's diaries (in 3 parts) ultimately bring about a feeling of embarrassment for a certain circle of 'my people'. His diary, recorded over the last six months of his life, captures a slice of history when London was at its last zenith since the Renaissance. Ultimately a very sad book but written well enough that even though I knew how it ended I found it very readable, a little uncomfortable at times but ultimately fascinating. An absolute riot. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Orton and Halliwell used young boys for their own gratification little thinking of the damage they were inflicting on them. Orton rules. Great Books to Give the Kids This Holiday. 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. I had to hide it from my parents because it was "subversive". When the book ended, I was left wondering if perhaps Kenneth Halliwell hadn't saved London from an eventual predator. "To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich, and happy is surely going against nature". It was so different and raw from the happy go lucky books all around me. 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. I give that ZERO STARS. Joe Orton, the playwright, and Kenneth Halliwell, who shared his tiny flat in Islington for eight years until they were both found dead in it last week, left their estates to each other. As well as it being one of the most honest Diaries I have ever read, it's also a great snapshot of the time and place - Swinging London in the mid-60's. Kenneth Halliwell, according to the background material provided, would have had access to it. The first, his ‘juvenile’ diary, covered his last years in Leicester and first two months at RADA. You get the sense about a third of the way through the diaries that he's just writing them for future publication. As a diary, there is a fair amount of the mundane -- which is rather enjoyable. Outrage greeted Joe Orton's plays while he was alive and his diaries after he was dead. A very intriguing set of diaries. If you can even call it a view, as Orton, charming and witty as he seems, was too self-centred to really see his relationship. The adjective Ortonesque is now used to refer to something characterised by a dark but farcical cynicism. The screenplay was written by Alan Bennett, based on the biography by John Lahr. In his plays, the tapes are doctored and played at impossible speeds to produce situations which are heightened, undifferentiated and much less interesting – a scream, in fact. I watched a lot of documentaries on the 1960s when I was younger, and came across many stories of Joe Orton. Little did he know the circumstances under which they would be. I highly recommend it, together with "Prick up Your Ears," the biography also by John Lahr. So no one but a hardcore fan is really going to be interested in the endless meetings, correspondences and contract negotiations which provide the mundane background for the meat of the diaries: Orton's tempestuous relationship with Kenneth Halliwell, the lover who eventually kills him; and his promiscuous sex life. 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. You get the sense about a third of the way through the diaries tha. The Orton diaries by Orton, Joe. Tangiers in the 1960's was a paedophile's paradise and please God, it no longer exists as such. For this reason, I rate this book low. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2019. It is Joe Orton's diary, annotated with letters and pertinent quotes from friends and family. Although I admire the principle of not excessively editing artists' diaries for publication, Lahr goes a little overboard in this one, leaving in every word from the last eight months of the diary's (and Orton's) life. I'm not sure how long he could have gone on, denying his own need for and others' need for love. Then again, I couldn't read 500 of these type of books every year. Di­rected by Stephen Frears, it stars Gary Old­man as Orton, Al­fred Molina as Hal­li­well and Vanessa Red­grave as Peggy Ramsay. This books is not for everyone. Nearly lost bladder control while reading some of the episodes featuring Kenneth Williams. Da Capo Press; Illustrated edition (Aug. 22 1996). Kenneth Williams features quite a bit in Orton's diaries, as Orton does in Williams' diaries, and it's quite fascinating to cross reference the same events recounted in very different ways by the two men. Live hard, die young? His creation of Dame Edna who writes scathing reviews in letters-to-the-editors of Joe's plays (among other things) is hilarious. I could see him writing plays with the intent of filling them with boys for him to "interfere with" (his words.) Every detail is there, from the confines of the small London flat to the freedom of Tangier. 1 Curtis: Those Awful Orton Diaries Published by DigitalCommons@SHU, 1987 Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. It captures London theater culture as well as pop culture of that period and time - meaning the 60's. But as a document, as a piece of writing, it is unusual, biting, funny. Throughout the diary, you witness Joe Orton's ability to present characters, fully developed in very few lines. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. The varied extremes of their shared social life, from glamorous parties with famous names such as Rudolf Nureyev and Williams's good friend, the … The diary, how it was written and why adds an extra element of both information about the relationship, and questions as to how it affected them both - or if it did at all given the writing relationship between the two men was so close that sharing the reading and writing of it would not be impossible to imagine. I like reading journals and this is a cracker, the descriptions of people, places is wonderful. Car­lo… Unalloyed joy. Joe Orton, commonly thought of as a playwright of risqué farces in the 1960s, was a very present figure for a while in the gay community in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s (perhaps because his biography was published late in the 1970s, his diaries in 1986 and a film based on the diaries released 1987). 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. He was known as one of Britain's most promising playwrights, but he had a dark, depraved and sinister side. Also, the introduction by John Lahr is great, as well as his very useful footnotes sometimes drawing on his biographical research on Orton. Free shipping for many products! add to cart "To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich and happy is surely going against nature." Both men were struggling actors who became struggling writers. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in Joe Orton and/or Kenneth Halliwell. Be the first to ask a question about The Orton Diaries. 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. Then again, I cou. When I was six years old and my brother eight, we found in our house a copy of The Orton Diaries which had recently been published, two decades after his murder by his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. Outrageous behavior. The diary divides into three sections: January-May (London), June-July (Tangier) and July-August (the final days before he was murdered) and even now, more than 40 years later, the observations are still fresh. Refresh and try again. The Edna Welthorpe letters at the end are hysterical. This is a well presented book. During this brief period he shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies. As a teacher, she made... ”To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich. When Joe Orton (19331967) 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 in Ortons skull with a hammer before killing himself. 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. Fast, FREE delivery, video streaming, music, and much more. Well i had wanted to read this book for ages! Alan Ben­nett wrote the screen­play. Orton’s diaries were published in 1986 and a film based on Prick Up Your Ears was released 1987 with Gary Oldman in the role of Orton. His humor is dark and unconventional and still fresh. Compellingly scandalous, you can see why his lover bashed his head in after reading these diaries. Many of the great and well-known post-war diaries (e.g. Islington, 9 August 1967. I didn't realise how much. No Kindle device required. It could've been a well-written novel rather than a. One of my friends recommended it to me. I still look back on Joe Orton and this book with fondness. I guess in future I just need to keep partaking of their works but refrain from reading about their personal lives. Too many recent diaries by politicians (e.g. Amazon.in - Buy Orton Diaries book online at best prices in India on Amazon.in. in the second section (written in Tangier), sexual activity of the insatiable reads as tedious. Afterall, he wrote the diaries with the intent of publishing them. Joe Orton - once dubbed "the Oscar Wilde of the welfare state generation" - is here revealed as one of the great diarists of the 20th century. 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. For gay readers, the Tangier section gives a wonderfully intricate portrait of a lost gay refuge. It was so different and raw from the happy go lucky books all around me. I knew little of Orton, his plays or his life apart from the fact he was gay and the diaries were notoriously explicit. Lahr said that Orton’s plays ‘caught the era’s psychological mood, that restless pursuit of sensation whose manic frivolity announced a refusal to suffer’. 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. The stories were so different than what was required in school. The Diary entries are funny, eclectic, dishy and take you into the mind of Joe Orton. 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. Not only in their candid detail about his celebrity lifestyle but also his lust after young boys. On the evidence of these diaries, the flight-recorder, the black box present in all writers, was particularly efficient in Joe Orton. These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers. ONE DAY in November 1985 Kenneth Williams was invited to read excerpts from the soon-to-be-published diary of his friend Joe Orton. It was also a major surprise how it ended. Exasperating though it is, we will never know the contents of Joe’s final diary entries. The Orton Diaries, written during his last eight months, chronicle in a remarkably candid style his outrageously unfettered life: his literary success, capped by an Evening Standard Award and overtures from the Beatles; his sexual escapades - at his mother's funeral, with a dwarf in Brighton, and, extensively, in Tangiers; and the breakdown of his sixteen-year "marriage" to Halliwell, the relationship that transformed and destroyed him. (Orton's orig­i­nal title, con­ceived some time be­fore Lahr's book, was to have been Prick Up Your Erse, erse being a pro­nun­ci­a­tion of arse.) Not only in their candid detail about his celebrity lifestyle but also his lust after young boys. His public career—from 1964 until his death in 1967—was short but highly influential. Please try again. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2014-09-17 12:59:14.680393 Bookplateleaf … Orton is quite at ease with himself and I found this very appealing at first but as things progress it began to trouble me. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages that interest you. 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 This is not stated however, mere conjecture on my part. It's kind of a one-sided view of an increasingly unhealthy relationship. I didn't realise how much. 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 was only just sixteen when I bought this book. Skip to main content. (It's 'interesting' to read Orton claim that his best sexual encounters were with people he didn't particularly like, and that intimacy was more difficult when genuine affection entered.). THE ORTON DIARIES: 1 OF 2 Orton kept diaries over two different periods of his life. Generally I love reading people's journels or diaries, and Joe Orton wrote a diary that is a masterpiece. Start by marking “The Orton Diaries” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Pretty horrifying the way Orton and Halliwell behaved with underage boys on vacation in Morocco. Sexual activity dominates, within the relationship and with others, but that was a truth of their lives so informs about both of them as individuals and as lovers rather than there for shock value. 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. The introduction by John Lahr is well-written and the footnotes are informative. "To be young, good-looking, healthy, famous, comparatively rich. Free delivery on qualified orders. To see what your friends thought of this book, "The trouble with Western Society today is the lack of, I was only just sixteen when I bought this book. It isn't scandalous, it's horrifying. If you can even call it a view, as Orton, charming and witty as he seems, was too self-centred to really see his relationship. That is fascinating and worthy of more, I'm so ambivalent on this book. Orton wasn't a very nice person but he was fascinating. Boy oh boy. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2016. those of Alan Clark, "Chips" Channon, Harold Nicolson) who written by members of the ruling class. He was a great playwright. There are many comments and opinions by friends and fellow artists and most of them are negative re Halliwell. “Cleanse my heart... Give me the ability to rage correctly”, Memoirs: Beautiful, Weird, Experimental, But Not Celebrity (An Education). A very intriguing set of diaries. 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. Alistair Campbell, Robin Cook etc.) Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Orton Diaries at Amazon.com. Finally, if you are something in between, approach Orton with an open mind. 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. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2015. $22.99 list price. I knew Orton was murdered yet I didn't realise the circumstances until this dramatic account came to a spectacular conclusion. It was definitely not your normal material for a sixteen year old. Dr Emma Parker is Associate Professor of English at the University of Leicester, home of the Joe Orton archive. Joe was a brilliant, creative, cutting-edge playwright who was just coming into his own when he was killed violently by his long-time partner. 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. Joe Orton - once dubbed "the Oscar Wilde of the welfare state generation" - is here revealed as one of the great diarists of the 20th century. It was also a major surprise how it ended. Why were the Tangier diaries included? Not available in stores. I loved it. by Da Capo Press, The Orton Diaries: including the correspondence of Edna Welthorpe and others. Please try your request again later. Hello Select your address Cyber Monday Best Sellers Gift Ideas New Releases Electronics Customer Service Home Books Coupons Computers Gift Cards Sell Registry Prick Up Your Ears is a 1987 British film, directed by Stephen Frears, about the playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell. Starring Timothy Spall as Inspector Truscott. That really comes across in these diaries. August 22nd 1996 However, their common interests led to a lengthy romantic relationship. I'm not sure how long he could have gone on, denying his own need for and others' need for love. North London's great poet of the stage. The introduction, footnotes, photographs, etc are very interesting and informative. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Throughout the diary, you witness Joe Orton's ability to present characters, fully developed in very few lines. I knew Orton was murdered yet I didn't realise the circumstances until this dramatic account came to a spectacular conclusion. 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. 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 went along.