UKC

Next year is the 90th anniversary of Mallory and Irvine’s disappearance on Everest. It would be great to perform my play on the exact day, 8th of June. (Sunday in 2014) Does anyone know of any organisations that might want to host the play or any mountain festivals on around then?

Excerpt from the play here http://johndburns.wordpress.com/2013/06/12/new-play-about-george-mallory/

In reply to John Burns: RGS? Keswick?

In reply to John Burns:

The mobberly church hall. Where he climbed the spire aged 6 I think????

In reply to John Burns:

At the RGS would seem the most appropriate place

In reply to John Burns:

I listened to your excerpt and thought it was interesting. I sense the use of quality source material (Wade Davis, Robert McFarlane?)

You describe it as a one man show - do you mean a monologue?

Can you convey the drama of the events and the dynamic between the climbers in that format? (Just asking, I've never written a play).

If the production is to be literally one man I would imagine you could use a wide variety of venues/events. Amongst other possibilities you have, why not approach the Climbers Club or Alpine Club with a view to linking to some of their events or even their huts - a tented stage in the field at Ynys would be fitting if you were to risk the weather.

I'm a member of the CC and would be willing to support the idea.

In reply to colin struthers:

Quality?

Questionable, see previous thread on this subject. If Wade Davis's so called "research" into the Great War is anything to go by it raises serious doubts about the accuracy rest of his book

In reply to Trangia:

Is your solitary comment on this thread what you mean or have I missed something?
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=547217

In reply to felt:

Got it in one

In reply to Trangia: Sorry, I don't understand when you say 'questionable research' into his book. I assume you are referring to 'into the silence'. Can you please elaborate.

In reply to Gone for good:

See http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=547217&v=1#x7320676

In reply to Trangia: I thought that on the whole it was an excellent read. Having read Lyn McDonalds accounts of Passchendaele, the Somme and the battles of 1915 it is fair to say that the accounts of the Great War in Wade Davies book are a little on the melodramatic side. Having said that, into the silence is a book about Everest and it is beautifully written. Certainly the research into the difficulties of gaining access into Tibet at that time as well as the logistical and organisational difficulties at a time that the World was trying to recover from the horrors of the Great War are conveyed in an impressive manner. The book is essentially an account of the people, the region and the political manoeuvrings that allowed for 3 expeditions to an area that no Western man had ever set foot on.
The accounts of the War are merely backdrops to the tragic and heroic events of 1921,22 and the ultimate tragedy of 1924.

In reply to Gone for good:

But backdrops which formed a significant amount of the book. It seems a pity that he gave way to reciting out of date and now debunked clap trap, rather than studying both original and more recent, and now widely accepted histories on the Great War. It's sloppy, inaccurate and annoying in an author of his calibre. The Great War was horrific enough without embellishing the history with melodramatic myth, which as I said in the previous thread raises doubts about the accuracy of the rest of the book.

I agree it was a good read, but for me, and it seems others, somewhat tarnished by the above.

In reply to John Burns: Given that this is mountaineering website, I'm a bit surprised that no-one has yet commented on the quality of the mountain related research in this book. Not sure I want to get involved in a lengthy exchange on this, but it is dodgy to say the least, so if anyone insists.....

In reply to jerrylovatt: Oh go on then. What mountain related research are you questioning?

In reply to Gone for good: Suppose I asked for it! A few examples:
p5 - title of Young's book wrong.
p177 - "cornice" can surely only be applied to a snow feature.
p178 - Blodig was of course famous for ascents of the 4000 metre peaks of the Alps. One understands that Canadians don't think in metres, but he might have realised that 4000 of them account for more than 13000 feet, not 12000.
p262 - to call Mallory a "ridge-walker" is just misleading or at least the wrong expression. Also, deeming the West Ridge "impossible" is less than accurate.
p263 - saying that the North Col would turn out to be "the key to the mountain" is also misleading - it is one of the keys to the mountain from that side, but the South Col "would turn out to be the key...."
p290 - suggesting that the Lhotse Face is 70-80 degrees really exposes his lack of mountaineering understanding. The average angle is only just over 30.
p475 - states that Odell was "already a member of the Alpine Club" by the time he was 16. All he had to do was ask, as Odell's application form is in the AC Archives - he was 26 (and if you look at p475, it isn't just a typo).
p567 - I doubt Conrad Anker himself would lay claim to being "arguably the finest climber of his generation".
p594 - Mummery's first name wrong.
Don't want to descend into pedantry, but it just gave me the impression of a man who doesn't really understand climbing, which in turn led me to wonder about the FWW section, about which I know very little.
Having said all of that, I totally agree that it is largely a well written book and "a good read". I just finished up not really knowing what I could trust.

In reply to John Burns: I actually thought Wade Davis' book was extremely well written and that his main argument on the traumatic nature of WWI and its effect on a generation was convincing.

It may well be that he got some facts wrong and that, as a none mountaineer, some of the statements he made may well be debatable but, in his defence, in a book of that length that's almost inevitable.

The Devil, of course, is in the detail.

In reply to jerrylovatt: OK..fair enough but,in my own humble opinion,fairly minor points which did nothing to detract from the enjoyment of the read. On that I think most peopel would agree.