Sir Michael and Sir George by Jb Priestley
A satirical comedy first published in 1964 by one of the twentieth century's most prolific, influential and adaptable writers. 'Most people here don't give a damn about scholarship and the arts, and they include nearly all the men who are running the country. They may pretend to, but they don't really care...' Deadly rivals Sir Michael Stratherrick (womaniser and Director of COMSA) and Sir George Drake (Director of DISCUS with little interest in the arts) are threatened with extinction. Her Majesty's Treasury plans to abolish both organisations and set up a new and expanded arts department within the Ministry of Higher Education. There can only be room for one director. So begins a contemptuous fight for survival with both men and their organisations seeking to out-manoeuvre and undermine each other at every turn. As the action moves through the shire counties and the North of England, the strip-tease bars of Soho and the plush surroundings of expense account Mayfair, things become even more complicated as we learn that along with their jobs, Sir George's marriage and Sir Michael's carefree single days are also under threat. With Priestley's characteristic humanity and sympathy for his characters' plights, this tremendously entertaining satire attacks the whole world of subsidised arts councils, those who support them with public money, civil service bureaucrats and the machinations of Government politics. As bureaucracy and the reach of Government continue to expand, this is very much a relevant novel for our time.
John Boynton Priestley (1894-1984) was one of the great literary figures of the twentieth century. Pre-eminently a dramatist, novelist and social commentator many of his works have become literary classics, among them The Good Companions, Angel Pavement, An Inspector Calls and Time and the Conways. His plays have been translated and performed all over the world and many have been filmed. During the Second World War his regular Sunday night Postscript radio talks attracted audiences of up to 15 million listeners. It was said that he was as popular and as important as Churchill in shoring up the nation's morale and in offering a vision of a better world to come. He was also a founder member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a champion of public lending rights and represented the UK at two UNESCO conferences. In literary, social and political terms he was very much the last great man of English letters.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781912101436 |
| ISBN 10 | 1912101432 |
| Title | Sir Michael and Sir George |
| Author | Jb Prietley |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Great Northern Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2020-08-03 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |