We Are Not Alone (novel)

We Are Not Alone

First UK edition of "We Are not Alone" by James Hilton

First UK edition (publ. Macmillan
Author James Hilton
Subject World War I
Published Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 12 March 1937[1]
Media type Book
Pages 231

We Are Not Alone is a novel by James Hilton, first published in 1937.[2] It is one of his more sombre works, portraying the tragic consequences of anti-foreign hysteria in England just prior to World War I.[3] It has been compared to Goodbye, Mr. Chips in its portrayal of small-town life through the eyes of an everyman protagonist.[4]

Plot Synopsis

Dr. Newcome is a beloved doctor in a small English town. His frustrations with his relationships with his wife and son lead to his developing an affair with a German dancer,[5] Leni, whom the family takes on as a governess. When Newcome's wife Jessica is killed under suspicious circumstances, both Dr. Newcome and Leni fall under suspicion. The town's prejudice against Leni as a German leads them to convict her and Dr. Newcome despite only circumstantial evidence.[6][7]

Adaptations

A one-hour radio adaptation by James Hilton and Barbara Burnham was broadcast on the BBC National Programme on 6 April 1938, with a cast that included Emlyn Williams as the doctor, Edgar Norfolk, Gordon McLeod and Nan Marriott-Watson.[8]

It was made into a film with the same title, with the screenplay by the author, in 1939.[9][10][11]

References

  1. "Peabody Bimonthly Booklist". Peabody Journal of Education. 14 (6): 326. 6 May 1937. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  2. Hilton, James("Glen Trevor") 1900-1954 in Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia of American Literature Vol. 1 (Web ed.). New York: HarperCollins. 991. p. 453.
  3. Peskowitz, Milton A. (6 June 1942). "Making Sophomores Reading Adults in a Democracy". The English Journal. 31 (6): 450–454. JSTOR 806101. doi:10.2307/806101.
  4. "In Brief Review". The English Journal. 26 (4): 341. 4 April 1927. JSTOR 804234.
  5. "Recent Fiction in Brief". The New Masses. electronic reproduction by unz.org. 11 May 1937. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  6. Douglas, Lloyd C. (13 March 1937). "Innocent Doctor". The Saturday Review. electronic reproduction by unz.org 2005. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  7. "We Are Not Alone". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media, LLC. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  8. "Broadcasting". Arts and Entertainment. The Times (47962). London. 6 April 1938. p. 12.
  9. Nugent, Frank S. (1 December 1939). "From Hollywood". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  10. Agel, Henri; Giraud, Raymond (1956). "Celluloid and the Soul". Yale French Studies. 17: 71. JSTOR 2929119. doi:10.2307/2929119.
  11. Ginsberg, Walter (January 1940). "Films for High-School English". The English Journal. 29 (1): 45. JSTOR 805636. doi:10.2307/805636.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.