David Forrest es el seudónimo de los novelistas ingleses Robert Forrest-Webb y David Eliades. Sus obras se caracterizan por tramas bien construidas y un humor desenfrenado, al tiempo que abordan temas serios como la Guerra Fría y la religión. La prosa de Forrest a menudo oscila entre la comedia y la seriedad, creando una experiencia de lectura única.
Nadie, ni el propio Fatty Hagan, habría podido imaginar que aquel solitario peñasco en medio del canal de la mancha iba a provocar tanto revuelo. Pero, cuando un buque espía soviético encalla en una mitad de la isla y los marines de la sexta flota norteamericana ocupan la otra mitad, ese territorio insignificante se convierte en objeto de un acalorado enfrentamiento entre Washington y Moscú.
The book offers an in-depth critical analysis of Barry Hines's literary contributions, with a particular focus on his most famous work, A Kestrel for a Knave. It explores themes, character development, and Hines's unique narrative style, providing insights into his impact on literature. The study aims to enhance the understanding of Hines's work within the context of British literature, highlighting his significance as a writer.
Ken Loach's 1969 drama Kes, considered one of the finest examples of British social realism, tells the story of Billy, a working class boy who finds escape and meaning when he takes a fledgling kestrel from its nest. David Forrest's study of the film examines the genesis of the original novel, Barry Hines' A Kestrel for a Knave (1968), the eventual collaboration that brought it to the screen, and the film's funding and production processes. He provides an in depth analysis of key scenes and draws on archival sources to shed new light on the film's most celebrated moments. He goes on to consider the film's lasting legacy, having influenced films like Ratcatcher (1999) and This is England (2006), both in terms of its contribution to film history and as a document of political and cultural value. He makes a case for the film's renewed relevance in our present era of systemic economic (and regional) inequality, alienated labour, increasingly narrow educational systems, toxic masculinity, and ecological crisis. Kes endures, he argues, because it points towards the possibility for emancipation and fulfilment through a more responsive and nurturing approach to education, a more delicate and symbiotic relationship with landscape and the non-human, and an emotional articulacy and sensitivity shorn of the rigid expectations of gender.
