Ifs and Buts

Witty and stylish, these extracts from Frederic Raphael's journal chronicle the life and reflections of the screenwriter. Of special interest to film enthusiasts, this candid memoir includes encounters with David Garnett and Rebecca West--and their vivid recollections of H.G. Wells, Lytton Strachey, D.H. Lawrence, and London's Bloomsbury--in addition to accounts of working with Diana Dors and almost working with Diane Keaton. Offering a behind the scenes look into the world of movie-making, this absorbing narrative reveals darker reflections on public and private life, on what it is to be a Jew, on terrorism, and on the cruelties within relationships.

Frederic Raphael is the author of Coast to Coast and Glittering Prizes. He is a leading screenwriter whose work includes the Academy Award-winning Darling and Far from the Madding Crowd as well as the screenplay for Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut.