Product Description

"British Theatre's antic visionary" (Guardian) "We're doing three David Hare plays all on one day, you see and we're calling that a trilogy - The Hare Trilogy - So if we had yours on, it would seem like trilogies were in the wind." (Richard Eyre to Ken Campbell)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #350035 in Books
• Published on: 1995-07-17
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 298 pages

Customer Reviews

Profound life affirming humour
Each of this trilogy of autobiographical tales is a convoluted knot of shaggy dog stories. Campbell hilariously relates a collection of profound and mundane memories from his life woven together with a thread of philosophical enquiry.

Campbell has a Fortean interest in unusual occurrences, but also an absurdist awareness of the humour in everyday events. The plots of these tales are too convoluted to summarise but they take in the story of Campbell setting up an “office in the marshes” – a desk in the open air near the river Lea; accidental death via self trepanning, accidental transvestitism; an explanation of the importance of Prince Philip and Ken Dodd to Tana Islanders in the Pacific; and Ken Dodd jokes in Pidgin English. Along the way there is a cautionary tale about confusing snuff with dried dog dirt.

The tone of these stories is of a close friend confiding their adventures over a pint of beer, and include a mixture of truth and exaggeration. Essentially they are about living life to the full by taking a keen interest in the little mysteries that pass by us every day. Joyful and life affirming!

In praise of a lost genius
Ken Campbell died earlier this year, leaving the world of performance art one genius lighter. This trilogy of scripts cannot do justice to stage performances that left attendees/witnesses curious and open-mouthed, not wanting to laugh or applaud for fear of losing track of a tenuous, multi-streamered 'plot'. There was always time to laugh on the bus home. For those who did see these three epic monologues spouted like Feste on ecstasy, these written versions are welcome say-aaahhh reminders. For those who did not, make of them what you will.