(italian version https://www.tumblr.com/eve-rickmaniac/793139667811909632/harborough-brother-of-late-hollywood-star-alan?source=share )
A collection of diaries written by Alan Rickman from 1993 until December 2015 – just a month before his death – with additional excerpts from earlier notebooks dating back to 1975, when he left a successful career as a graphic designer to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), turning his passion for acting into a profession in his late twenties.
As for the endless and rather pointless discussions about why and how his wife decided to publish them (and not all of them, by the way), unfairly placing the blame on her, I think it’s best to leave those aside. Especially considering that his brothers and closest friends supported the project – just look at who wrote the foreword.
What I honestly don’t understand is this stance taken by some of Alan Rickman’s fans, choosing not to buy the book out of “respect,” as if publishing it were somehow disrespectful to him (probably fueled by that unfortunate line in the publisher’s introduction). There is nothing intimate or invasive in these diaries – they are simply his thoughts, opinions, and glimpses of daily life.
Reading them felt almost like hearing his voice again, like being let into the quiet corners of his world. It made me feel closer to Alan Rickman not only as an actor, but as a person. To me, this book is a gift, not a betrayal.
Even an Alan Rickman’s brother, has spoken positively about the publication .You can read more about it in his interview here.
Here’s Emma Thompson at the BFI launch, introducing the book with such warmth: she reads excerpts that feel like a tribute, and it’s moments like these that make the project feel so heartfelt and meaningful:
Has anyone else here read it yet? <3
