Barrie Scraps

Back Flap of 1979 hardcover:

The Lost Boys. A selection of press reviews of Andrew Birkin's television play.

- "I doubt if biography has ever been better televised than in this sensitive and beautifully crafted masterpiece." The Daily Telegraph

- "It is only very rarely that a television drama comes along in which every constituent manages to provide a flawless contribution." The Financial Times

- "One of the finest pieces of television drama I have ever seen." The Listener

- "Andrew Birkin's convincing and compelling biographical trilogy is most beautifully and sensitively done." The Guardian

Inside front flap:
Summary of the biography "the pages that follow this meeting unfold the extraordinary story of Barrie's involvement with the Davies boys." Continues to back flap "the author of this book has included numerous quotations from Barrie's previously unpublished notebooks, which have been made available by Yale University. He has had the full co-operation of the Llewelyn Davies family, in particular the last surviving 'Lost Boy', Nico, and has been allowed to draw extensively on a fascinating family memoir written at a later date by Peter Davies, which the latter called 'The Morgue'. One of the many most attractive features of teh book are the illustrations, many of them taken by Barrie himself, which record the day to day activities of a beautiful family and are highly evocative of a period - the Edwardian - which now seems so remote." continued. "Andrew Birkin, helped in his research by Sharon Goode, conceived and wrote the script for the BBC production The Lost Boys, a trilogy of plays which received wide critical acclaim when first shown in 1978, and which was the BBC's drama entry for the 1979 Monte Carlo Festival." (end)

Observations:
1979 Edition: First published in Great Britain 1979 by Constable and Company Ltd 10 Orange Street London WCaH 7EG. Copyright 1979 by AB and Laurentic Film Productions Ltd.
Front cover is very attractive. Nostalgic picture of a boy dressed in what is supposed to be recognized as a Peter Pan costume, his legs spread wide apart and an impish expression on his face. The title and author's byline are written in gold and cream, very eye-catching. It feels like you're holding something of substance, with thick paper and faces peering back at you from every page. Tells a story not only with words, but with pictures, which set it apart from the traditional biography. An unexpected treasure-trove of documents and pictures, many of which were taken by JMB as a hobby. Each turn of the page reveals a picture (or many) which make AB's narrative come alive. Not so much a companion piece to the documentary, but a stand-alone work.
Inside the front and back covers, extensive family trees of the subjects being studied (Llewelyn Davies and Du Maurier) are shown.
Title page is coupled with the "to die..." illustration. Foreboding? Becomes very meaningful later in the book. The dedication, "To my Mother", seems rather innocent.
Two quotes. An A.E. Housman poem
Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.
"You’re old, but you're not grown up. You're one of us."
Alexander Puttnam, aged 11
What we gather about Birkin, before reading: closely tied with tv and screenwriting. Author picture is very youthful, ordinary, walking down abandoned railroad tracks. Artisticy emo? Downward directed eyes shaded by longer shaggy hair. Recent pictures of AB are still brooding, with hair that is still rebelliously long, but thinning.
Introduction begins with the "May God blast..." quote from one of Barrie's late journals.

2003 Edition:
Although the cover art has been slightly modified. Added the subtitle: The real story behind Peter Pan.
Back flap press reviews:
"Positively the most captivating book I have read in years . . . an absolutely gripping love story which is both moving and harrowing" Margaret Forster, Evening Standard
"A psychological thriller . . . one of the year's most complex and absorbing biographies" Gerald Clarke, Time
"My most unforgettable read of the year" Ronald Blythe, The Guardian
"A truly chilling story, wonderfully told" Sheridan Morley, The Times
"Unquestionably the best book on the subject, and unlikely to ever be surpassed" Sir Rupert Hart-Davis
"A terrible and fascinating story" Eve Auchincloss, Washington Post
"This stunningly constructed biography . . . is a story of obsession and the search for pure childhood; touching, moving charming, a revelation" Caroline Thompson, Los Angeles Times
"Originally published in 1979, this enchanting and richly illustrated account is reissued with a new preface and additional illustrations on the release of Neverland, a film based on Barrie's relationship with the Davies family, and the centenary of Peter Pan in 2004." Birkin's list of achievements has greatly expanded since the first edition. Listed on the back cover are his multiple awards from his film career, and mentions his three sons.
The inclusion of the sprawling family tree from the first edition has been overlooked, in favor of over a dozen additional glowing reviews from publications such as the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, and Boston Globe. "The most candid and perceptive biography to have been written on Barrie," quips the Oxford Companion to Children's Literature. "A fascinating story beautifully constructed and told with grace, great sympathy, and skill..." Gillian Reynolds, Daily Telegraph.
Opposite the old dedication is the acknowledgement of the Special Trustees of Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, to whom AB donated the copyright of the book in commemoration of JMB. Not showy.
Introduction to the Yale Edition includes recent revelations, and fills in some of the gaps between the 1979 edition and the 2003 edition. Recounts AB's beginnings as a JMB scholar. The biography's theme of direct and lengthy quotes from primary sources continues in the new introduction. Very upfront about the massive amounts of information left out, due to the page limitations (SHOW HIS AUDIENCE), and the numerous documents and such which have surfaced since. Tantalizing.

Snippets from Class Notes:

• Any sense of a source which was less-than-nice? Revenge? Unfair portrayl?
• Who has the most power in this? Sexton’s power was Linda.
• Uses many sources, many perceptions, to create a more balanced portrait. Yet, it still depends on the biographer. Duty to the community to tell the story – good or bad – to enhance the understanding of the subject.
• No biography is ever the complete story, but each adds to the photo album of the subject’s life. Footprints.
• Is one interpretation more “right” than the others?
• Not only can a life be interpreted in numerous ways and viewed through many lenses, but also, each source (letters, choices, events, photos, etc) can be understude and used by the biographer in countless ways. Malleable. Even how the biographer writes it (word choice) can decide the impression the reader is left with.
• Currently a trend to “out” the subject and find a revolutionary angle from which to dissect them. More of a sleuth than a scholar.
• “’The corpse,’ Waugh suggested, ‘has become the marionette. With bells on its fingers and wires on its toes it is jigged about to a “period dance” of our own piping’”. Necrophiliac Art, page 32. Martin Stannard.
• Biographer is also revealing themselves in their writing, and offering their own work to the critics (same source). Discusses privacy and who owns a life. Matters if they seeked out the job, or if it was offered to them.
• Postmodernism and Flaubert’s Parrot. Notes, Oct. 2^nd.
• For the paper, look for holes and other things which seem to be left out. Look for disconnects between the larger story and anecdotes. Why include the ones he chooses? Any trends?
• Birkin used mostly children’s memories, and friends and family. Critics are rare. Innocent views of “the innocent”. Barrie is treated as a sort of fairy tale creature, himself, and not as a serious playwright.
• Look at Birkin’s motivation and connection to the story and relationships. At this point, he was not yet a father and didn’t have a strong affinity to the story. Sort of fell into it. Separated enough to remain largely unbiased. Biographer’s point of view shapes the reader’s understanding of the subject. Especially with the inclusion of anecdotes.
• What is the impact of the selection and presentation of the material?
• Only took Joslin a year to write it, but it took her 30 years to digest it and form her own opinions. Obvious assertions and little “spin” on things like Addams’ relationship.
• Rampersad: “a good biography leaves its reader generally convinced about the authenticity of the reconstruction of the life and of the claims made for the life; but it must also leave the reader convinced that the life was worth reconstructing, so that the reconstruction, that is, the biography, was worth reading. A biography must be entertaining and instructive.” (2)
• Keeper of the flame.