Simon Gray fu un drammaturgo e autore di memorie inglese, celebrato per il suo umorismo autoironico. Il suo lavoro offre uno sguardo penetrante sulla natura umana, esplorando spesso temi come l'isolamento e la ricerca di significato. Gray mescolò magistralmente elementi comici e tragici, creando narrazioni ricche di ironia e profonda umanità.
The stark, unsentimental approach to the homosexual relationship, the cynical send-up of academic life, the skeptical view of the teacher-pupil associations are all stunningly illuminated by continuous explosions of sardonic, needling, feline, vituperative and civilised lines.' Evening Standard
In 'The Pig Trade', under the shadow of Mussolini, a famous art historian and a notorious art dealer have an explosive final encounter. 'Japes Too' and 'Michael' recount the love of two brothers for one woman, and 'The Holy Terror' continues the story of a publisher's nervous breakdown.
Spies betray people. That's what we do. It becomes a - a habit. Difficult to break - even when it's not - not strictly necessary. Wormwood Scrubs Prison, London, 1961. One of Britain's most notorious double agents, George Blake, is serving a forty-two year sentence when he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Irish petty criminal, Sean Bourke. Both men are eccentric outsiders. Each sees in each other the possibility of escape and not just from prison. But once on the outside their mutual dependence faces mounting pressures from MI5, the KGB and indeed from themselves. Simon Gray's absorbing and deftly funny play explores how personal freedom is an illusion and how even friendship must have careful boundaries in a world where deception is a reflex response. Cell Mates premiered at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, in January 1995 before transferring to the Albery Theatre, London. The play was revived at the Hampstead Theatre, London, in November 2017.
The diary of playwright Simon Gray captures his journey through life at sixty-five, marked by a candid exploration of his experiences with cigarettes, alcohol, triumphs, and failures. This collection combines four parts of The Smoking Diaries, showcasing a blend of humor and deep introspection. Gray's sharp observations and poignant self-revelations provide a compelling narrative that delves into the complexities of friendship, love, and the pursuit of personal truth, offering readers a profound reflection on life's unpredictable nature.
The final volume of the trilogy that began with The Smoking Diaries, this diary reflects Simon Gray's determination to give up smoking.
'The brave little lives that Gray so compassionately illuminates could be lived by any of us, and that's why they arouse emotions that are anything but small.'New York Times on Quartermaine's Terms
A light comedy about a group of educated, often eccentric English characters in an academic backwater in the early sixties. But though the jokes are excellent, the piece cuts deep. It creates a poignant sense of transience and mortality.
'You should go out and buy The Smoking Diaries right now ... because you are unlikely to come across a funnier, cleverer, more painful book' Daily Telegraph
Gives an account of the year in which the author struggled to come to terms with terminal lung cancer. This title sets darkly comic depictions of the medical team against joyful accounts of sunlit days with this beloved wife, Victoria.
This play features a university lecturer, Ben Butley, who shares his office and his flat with a former star pupil, Joey, now also a teacher. On the day the play takes place, Butley faces both the ultimate breakdown of his marriage and the intensity of his friendship with Joey.
