The Laying on of Hands : A Story

Alan Bennett

ISBN 10: 1861973748 / ISBN 13: 9781861973740

Published by Profile Books in association with LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS, London, 2001

About this Item

Signed by the author on title page without dedication, no other inscriptions and no owner's name, 1st impression, unread, not price clipped, light fading to D/j spine (otherwise D/j would be "as new"), D/j protected by a clear removable sleeve.

Seller Inventory # 051625

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Laying on of Hands : A Story
• Publisher: Profile Books in association with LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS, London
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1861973748
• ISBN 13: 9781861973740
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Clive Dunlop was a masseur of exceptional talents. His 'services' were much in demand amongst the great and the good and after his untimely death at the age of 34 they - the film stars and politicians, the writers and publishers, the TV pundits and celebrity chefs - are gathered for his memorial service. The conduct of the service is a great worry for the priest taking the service but it proves to be a test for the congregation. This is Alan Bennett at his absolute best with an exceptional satire. It is a perfect work of fiction but it will give readers the extra frisson of pleasure of identifying many of the characters, including even the masseur. This is a small masterpiece.

About the Author

Alan Bennett has been one of our leading dramatists since the success of Beyond the Fringe in the 1960s. His television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Years On, The Lady in the Van, A Question of Attribution, The Madness of King George Ill (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George) and an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. The History Boys won Evening Standard, Critics' Circle and Olivier awards, as well as the South Bank Award. On Broadway, The History Boys won five New York Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics' Circle Awards, a New York Drama Critics' Award for Best Play, a New York Drama League Award and six Tonys including Best Play. The film of The History Boys was released in 2006. Alan Bennett's collection of prose, Untold Stories, won the PEN/Ackerley Prize for Autobiography, 2006. His 2009 play, The Habit of Art, received glowing reviews and was broadcast live the following year by National Theatre Live. In 2012 People premiered at the National Theatre to widespread critical acclaim. The film of The Lady in the Van starring Maggie Smith was released in 2015, sending Bennett's memoir of the same name to the top of the bestseller list for nine weeks.