One of the more humbling experiences springing from putting so many and so many diverse opinions onto the internet is when we must admit our deficiencies. Our imperfections are usually on parade and quite clear to anyone who can parse a sentence, merely spell, or has a much better grip on the material on which I comment and opine. Deficiencies, for me, are usually confessional as in, "I've never read anything by Ford Maddox Ford but if Tom Stoppard has decided to invest a slice of his life dramatizing it for BBC2, then count me in. --I should be receiving an Everyman's edition of the work by the end of the week. But enough about me. Here's an excerpt from the article in the Guardian:
Ford's tetralogy, published between 1924 and 1928, established him as one of the country's finest novelists. He died in 1939. Stoppard is reported to be hopeful that the BBC2 drama will restore Ford's reputation, placing him alongside authors like DH Lawrence and Evelyn Waugh in the pantheon of early 20th century greats.
Ben Stephenson, head of drama commissioning at the BBC, told the Independent: "Tom Stoppard is without a doubt one of the world's finest writers and we are thrilled to welcome him to the BBC with his extraordinary, witty and hugely complex take on a complex work."
Mr. Stoppard has a long relationship with the BBC. If one casts about the internet, one will be rewarded with audio from his many radio productions including The Real Thing and Rock 'n Roll. (Remember to say your prayers for someone to produce an audio version of The Coast of Utopia.) And I can recommend all of them. The production of Parade's End will be a five-part television production.
Of course as I find out more about the production, rest assured, you, gentle reader will be informed.
PS: If you want to buy the book from Amazon, please click on the image of the cover.
