Thursday, January 13, 2011

Postlethwaite memoir to Weidenfeld

The Bookseller - 12.01.11 - Charlotte Williams

Weidenfeld & Nicolson is to publish the autobiography of the late actor Pete Postlethwaite, bringing forward the book's release from June 2012 to 2011.

Weidenfeld non-fiction publisher Alan Samson bought world rights to the book, currently titled A Spectacle of Dust: The Autobiography, through the actor's friend Andrew Richardson in September.

The typescript, completed by the actor before his death, has just been received by the publisher.
Samson said: "He wanted to do the book—Pete and Andrew approached us. He's done a great job. It includes his upbringing . . . a lot of people are really interested in the point a celebrity's life diverges from their own."

Samson added: "He was one of our most beloved and long-serving actors. He had been in the national consciousness for a long time and his career covers the history of modern acting-stage, television and film. He was a master of all media, and of books now, too."

Postlethwaite died on 3rd January this year, following a lengthy illness. He was born in Cheshire in 1946. Working as a teacher before graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he initially became a prominent theatre actor, working with Helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins and Julie Walters.

He also appeared on film and television, including roles in "The Usual Suspects", "Brassed Off!" and "Romeo + Juliet". He was nominated for an Oscar for his part in "In The Name of the Father" in 1994.

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