No leading definitions

 A distinction drawn in Radio 4's Today programme between the genres of autobiography and memoir  may be less than wholly convincing: is "a work of literature that is verging on fiction" really an adequate definition of a memoir? But it did remind me of my feelings when reading the comprehensive 2016 biography of the playwright and screenwriter R.C. Sherriff, best remembered for Journey's End. 

I had greatly enjoyed Sherriff's own account of his life, No Leading Lady, around thirty years earlier, and was prompted to read it again after finishing the more recent work. It didn't disappoint: No Leading Lady is engagingly written, with quite a few comic moments. Sherriff's career is about much more than his groundbreaking play about the Great War, although he does provide a very full account of its genesis. It's fascinating to learn, for example, that the relationship between Stanhope and Raleigh, the younger man who hero-worships him, had been in Sherriff's mind long before the decision to place the action in a wartime setting - in other words he was primarily interested in exploration of character and war happened to be the backdrop chosen, an approach which I'm sure has contributed to the work's longevity.

There are unexpected events in the book. Journey's End, which was the first full length play to give a portrayal of the front, was so successful at Wyndhams that when director James Whale and lead actor Colin Clive (and Sherriff himself) got the offer to go to Hollywood it was assumed that the play's London success would continue unimpeded, that on this occasion it was the play itself which was the star, not the lead actor ... but the box office soon dropped off.

Once in Hollywood, Sherriff has an amusing story to tell of working on a draft of The Invisible Man, the adaptation of H.G. Wells's novel. The screenplay, already through several hands, is so removed from Wells's story that Sherriff takes pains to seek out a secondhand copy of the novel, does an unadventurous but faithful adaptation and is suddenly proclaimed as a wonderful writer. There is also quite a lot about James Whale, who made the transition from stage to film directing, and is most famous today for the classic horror Frankenstein and its camper sequel Bride of Frankenstein, though he also did an early version of Show Boat. 

Also fascinating are Sherriff's meetings with famous people as a result of the celebrity which the spectacular success Journey's End brought him: there are anecdotes about J.M. Barrie and Thomas Hardy which I find hilarious. Hardy's second wife complains to Sherriff that Hardy is in the habit of leading her to a muddy field which contains some memory of his first wife, expecting her to be as enchanted by the association as he; a great poet, maybe, but not so great a husband. (His meeting with Barrie is better read than paraphrased.)

But a summary of the book doesn't do justice to Sherriff's style. If you are vaguely interested in Journey's End or want a picture of early Hollywood or simply want to read an autobiography which is utterly captivating then try it.

Ronald Wales's recent biography, From Journey's End to The Dam Busters, points out various factual errors and distortions in Sherriff's own account and far more detailed about Sherriff's stage productions, but as the spinner of a yarn Sherriff is far more beguiling, even if you need both accounts for the full picture. 

Which, I admit, isn't much of a review of Mr Wales's book, so here is some information from its back cover:

R.C. Sherriff came to fame with his First World War drama Journey's End, which was based on his own experiences as a young officer on the Western Front. Its success made him a household name and opened the door to a highly lucrative career as a novelist, playwright and screenwriter in Hollywood and in Britain. Many of his movies The Invisible Man, Goodbye Mr Chips, The Four Feathers, Odd Man Out, Quartet, and, of course, The Dam Busters are still well known, but the man behind them much less so. This book rediscovers Sherriff using his own words his letters, diaries, published and unpublished manuscripts to shed light on a man who ironically gained his greatest success from the trench warfare he found so difficult to bear.

Gives the First Comprehensive Account of the Life of R.C. Sherriff, Who Was a Famous Literary Figure for More Than Thirty Years.

Describes How Sherriff's Internationally Renowned Play - Journey's End - Was Based on His Own Experiences of Trench Warfare.

Examines the War's Mental Toll Using Sherriff's Own Wartime Letters and Diaries.

Uses the Recently Rediscovered Sequel to Journey's End to Consider the Difficulties Encountered by Veterans Readjusting to Civilian Life.

Explores the Hollywood of the 1930S, and Sherriff's Influence, With His Friend James Whale (Director of Frankenstein), on Universal Studios' Horror Movies.

Recounts His Battles With the Censor, and the Attempts Made by the Nazis to Interfere in His Films.

Documents the Tussles With the Studios Over His Oscar-Nominated Film Goodbye, Mr Chips.

Highlights the Films He Made With Alexander Korda - Including Lady Hamilton, Churchill's Favourite Movie - and the Opposition they Faced from the Us Senate.

Details the Problems Involved in Making the Dam Busters While the 'Bouncing Bomb' Was Still Top Secret.

At the time of writing it's possible to buy a copy of the biography for £12.50 from the Pen and Sword website here.  Roland Wales's website can be found here.