Sherriff read history at New College, Oxford, from 1931 to 1934. [10] [11] He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the Society of Antiquaries of London. [12] Career [ edit ] Playwright [ edit ] The following is excerpted from R.C. Sherriff's timeless classic, The Fortnight in September . Sherriff was born in 1896. Journey's End , based on his letters home from WWI trenches, was an enormous success and became a classic. In the 1930s, Sherriff went to Hollywood to write the script for The Invisible Man , and subsequently worked on many successful films. He wrote several novels, including The Fortnight in September , Greengates , and The Hopkins Manuscript before his death in 1975.

A captivating read. . . . quietness is part of the novel's immense charm." — Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star Tribune Finally, he turned, and said rather lamely—“Well, here we are.” They had reached the strange, disturbing little moment that comes in every holiday: the moment when suddenly the tense excitement of the journey collapses and fizzles out, and you are left, vaguely wondering what you are going to do, and how you are going to start. With a touch of panic you wonder whether the holiday, after all, is only a dull anti-climax to the journey. Sherriff, R. C. (1968). No Leading Lady: An Autobiography. London: Gollancz. pp.14, 22. ISBN 0-575-00155-0. Only youngest son Ernie is oblivious to the down at heel nature of the accommodation. At 11 years old he’s too excited by the idea he could become a railway porter one day or — better still — the bandmaster of a military band, The others accept the discomforts of Seaview because they enjoy the comfort of familiarity too much to think of going elsewhere. Regrets and Desires Voor het verhaal moet je het inderdaad niet doen: De familie Stevens gaat voor de zoveelste keer op rij twee weken met vakantie naar Bognor, een kleine badplaats aan de kust van West Sussex in het zuidoosten van Engeland. Eer ze op de trein zitten ben je al ruim 100 pagina's ver. En eenmaal gearriveerd "dralen de dagen eindeloos" en lijkt het einde van de vakantie nooit te zullen komen.

Proprio non ricordo come questo libro sia finito nella mia wishlist e da lì prima o poi inevitabilmente approdato alla lettura: sconosciuto il titolo, altrettanto ignoto l’autore che mai avevo sentito nominare, poco allettante la sinossi, nessun consiglio di amici, probabilmente si è trattato di una recensione galeotta che prometteva troppo. She returned to the kitchen with a burden lifted. It would be all right now. If you had asked Mrs. Stevens why she was so happy, she would never have been able to explain: she would have shrunk from saying “Because the others will be happy”—it would have sounded noble, and silly. If you asked her “Do you enjoy your holiday?” she would have flinched at a question she had always feared, but which had never come. Nobody ever asked her. The family assumed she did: and her friends confined their question to “Have you had a nice time?” to which she had replied “Lovely” for twenty years. It had always been Bognor— ever since, on her honeymoon, her pale eyes had first glimpsed the sea. Her father had had a sister who lived on a farm, and scorning holidays himself, he had sent the children there—year in, year out—until this daughter had met her man and married him. Sherriff also wrote prose. A novelised version of Journey's End, co-written with Vernon Bartlett, was published in 1930. [17] His 1939 novel, The Hopkins Manuscript is an H. G. Wells-influenced post-apocalyptic story about an earth devastated because of a collision with the Moon. [18] Its sober language and realistic depiction of an average man coming to terms with a ruined England is said [ citation needed] to have been an influence on later science fiction authors such as John Wyndham and Brian Aldiss. The Fortnight in September, an earlier novel, published in 1931, is a rather more plausible story about a Bognor holiday enjoyed by a lower-middle-class family from Dulwich. [19] It was nominated by Kazuo Ishiguro as a book to 'inspire, uplift and offer escape' in a list compiled by The Guardian during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing it as "just about the most uplifting, life-affirming novel I can think of right now". [20]

The Night My Number Came Up – which was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay (NB: both films were nominated for the 1955 BAFTA awards.) It takes a lot of talent to pull off a narrative like this with no dramatic scenes, plot twists, bigger than life characters. R C Sherriff had it and he made something out of nothing. In the autobiographical piece that serves as an introduction he admits that he took up writing this while on holiday on a similar town without an eye to publication; more as a writing exercise in the observation of the ordinary. In the process he dissected even the most trivial sentiments and thoughts of each member of the family, some admittedly more than others. Apart from a bunch of last century’s favorite pastimes while on holiday, we find out about the father’s self reflections on his life course and modest achievements, the mother’s uneasiness while away from home and how well she hides it lest she spoils everybody’s fun. The oldest son’s disillusionment at the start of his professional career, the daughter’s enthrallment in her first fling with a charming man, and the younger son’s…well, there’s not much about him really, young boys’ psychology not being the author’s strong point, apparently. Although I didn’t singly identify with anyone I found myself nodding in recognition of common ground with everyone.

Wales, Roland (2016). From Journey's End to the Dam Busters: The life of R.C. Sherriff, Playwright of the Trenches. Barnsley: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1473860698. It’s a tender portrait that gives the novel a slight touch of melancholy. Yet it isn’t a sad story; this is a family who enjoy each other’s company and take pleasure in small rituals. By the end of the book we do get a sense that their fortnight in Bognor has brought about subtle changes in their attitudes and their lives but nothing of such significance that it will prevent them returning to Bognor next year. After recovering from his wounds, Sherriff worked as an insurance adjuster from 1918 to 1928 at Sun Insurance Company, London. [9] An absolute delight from start to finish. Sherriff’s tender observations of the family dynamics, and the simple joy each of them takes in the highlight of their year, prove him to be an unrivaled master of the quotidian. . . . The novel exerts a spell, one that leaves us hanging on these characters’ every word." — The Paris Review