Hail Ida Pollock ! 105 Years Old Eternal Romantic

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           MAY 04 , 2013           08.45 P.M.

I must admit that I have never heard the name Ida Pollock / Ida Pallock . When Ida Pollock turned 105 last month and when several newspapers carried articles about her , then I started searching about her . I was startled to know that she has written 70 Mills & Boon novels . I never knew it because for Mills & Boon series she used pseudonyms . She wrote them under the names Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Rose Burghley or Mary Whistler.

I was amazed to know that she is such prolific that in her 105 years of life , she has written 123 novels . And at 105 , she is about to publish her 124th novel . I would love to be like her but alas , I am unable to match her accomplishments . Self-proclaimed most famous acting school of Mumbai , self-anointed most famous acting institute of India and self-appointed most famous acting academy of bollywood have no time for such literary giants and their pursuits .

Ida Pollock / Pallock / Crowe (born 12 April 1908) , is a British writer of several short-stories and 123 romance novels under her married name, Ida Pollock, and under her numerous pseudonyms: Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell.

Prolific: Ida still writing at the age of 105

Ida Pollock has written 123 novels and has sold millions of books over nine decades with titles such as White Heat and Interlude for Love.

She has millions of fans but has largely avoided the limelight by writing under a whopping TEN pseudonyms. Her daughter Rosemary said , “ Pen names are very common in romance writing . Mum’s publishers always insisted on them because readers associated different styles with different names. ”

Despite turning 105 last week Ida is still writing, and her latest 124th novel , The Runaway is due to be published shortly.

She no longer sits at her typewriter but dictates to daughter Rosemary, 69, at their remote country home in Lanreath near Looe, Cornwall.

 

Pseudonyms … her romantic tales were published under different pen names

SWNS

Born in Lewisham, South London, Ida began writing thrillers in her teens and finished her first, The Hills of Raven’s Haunt, at 14.

After becoming a full-time writer in the 1930s, Ida turned to romance and penned a string of hits under the first of her ten pseudonyms, Joan Allen.

At her most prolific Ida produced 40 books in five years — all based around the timeless formula of naive young heroines saved from danger by rugged, older men.

In 1956 alone Ida had eight romances published under five pen names — each around 70,000 words long and all finishing with a happy ending.

Ida has only released a handful of books under her own name and still publishes under the last of her alter-egos, Marguerite Bell.

Prolific … Ida has written 123 books

SWNS

A Distant Drum, her most recent novel, came out in 2005. Ida’s memoirs, Starlight, were published in 2009.

Famous Ida quotes :

“A romance is never just a romance, there’s adventure, mystery and movement. “

“ You need a grand, dramatic setting — the Swiss Alps were always a personal favourite of mine — and a chance meeting, on a train, a cruise, or perhaps the hero and heroine find themselves shipwrecked on a desert island. “

“The men are normally rich, well-to-do — but never vulgar with their money. Young men lack the maturity to take control so an older man is essential to provide the reassurance the heroine needs. “

“There’s always a fair amount of turbulence before he sweeps in to save the day. A happy ending is an absolute must.”

“I think I was born to write. My mother would put a typewriter on the dining room table and say ‘there you go’. “

“My first story was published in the Christian Herald and they would pay me five guineas. I wrote my first novel when I was just 14. “

“I was into mysteries and thrillers at the time but I eventually I drifted into romance because my mother would always ask me to write ‘something pretty’.

“I’ve never got bored with it because it’s something I absolutely love. My books are full of hope and romance rather than sex.

“They are a form of escapism — you can escape the parts of the world that you don’t like.”

” It takes me about six weeks to write a novel. “

Team … she reads to daughter Rosemary who now types up her novels

Books As Ida Pollock :

Single novels

• The Gentle Masquerade, 1964
• The Uneasy Alliance, 1965
• Lady in danger, 1967
• Summer Conspiracy 1969/02
• Country Air, 1970/08

Non fiction

• Starlight, 2009

On behalf of all the students and staff of VIDUR Acting Institute , which is known as Vidur’s Kreating Charakters  , I wish her a long and healthy life . May God give her some more literary years .

[ Since I was not familiar with her name , so naturally I have culled information about her from internet , Wikipedia and several newspaper articles . I express sincere thanks . ]

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.vidur.co.in

www.kreatingcharakters.net

www.facebook.com/VidursKreatingCharacters

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Related articles

• World’s oldest romantic novelist Ida Pollock releases 124th book at age of 105 (mirror.co.uk)
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200 Years of ” Pride And Prejudice “

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           FEBRUARY 10 , 2013           11.40 P.M.

Few days back I read news that iconic and timeless classic ” Pride and Prejudice ” , a novel written by Jane Austen , has completed 200 years of its journey . Immediately my mind went into flashback . The year was 1972 and the place was English department of Allahabad University . I had taken admission in the English department for my post graduation in English Literature and thus got introduced to the world of Jane Austen as this novel ” Pride and Prejudice ” was in my course .

I frankly admit that at that time I was unable to understand the novel completely . I was not able to comprehend the intricacies of 19th century England and thus was unable to appreciate the novel . But I was aware of its iconic status and was told by my professors that it is a timeless classic . I decided to read it again in future but was unable to fulfill my resolution due to lack of time . And now in 2013 , when I am engulfed in the activities of my acting institute , ” Pride and Prejudice ” has silently completed 200 years of its existence .

Title page from the first edition of the first volume of Pride and Prejudice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. Elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a country gentleman living near the fictional town of Meryton in Hertfordshire, near London.

Jane Austen, Watercolour and pencil portrait by her sister Cassandra, 1810 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Though the story is set at the turn of the 19th century, it retains a fascination for modern readers, continuing near the top of lists of ‘most loved books’ such as The Big Read. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature and receives considerable attention from literary scholars. Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic adaptations and an abundance of novels and stories imitating Austen’s memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.

As Anna Quindlen wrote, “Pride and Prejudice is also about that thing that all great novels consider, the search for self. And it is the first great novel to teach us that search is as surely undertaken in the drawing-room making small talk as in the pursuit of a great white whale or the public punishment of adultery.”

Adaptations

Film, television, and theatre

Pride and Prejudice (1940 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cropped screenshot of Greer Garson from the trailer for the film Pride and Prejudice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pride and Prejudice (Photo credit: elycefeliz)

Pride and Prejudice has engendered numerous adaptations. Some of the notable film versions include that of 1940 starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier, (based in part on Helen Jerome’s 1936 stage adaptation) and that of 2005 starring Keira Knightley (in an Oscar-nominated performance) and Matthew Macfadyen.Notable television versions include two by the BBC: the popular 1995 version starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, and a 1980 version starring Elizabeth Garvie and David Rintoul. A 1936 stage version was created by Helen Jerome played at the St. James’s Theatre in London, starring Celia Johnson and Hugh Williams. First Impressions was a 1959 Broadway musical version starring Polly Bergen, Farley Granger, and Hermione Gingold.In 1995, a musical concept album was written by Bernard J. Taylor, with Peter Karrie in the role of Mr Darcy and Claire Moore in the role of Elizabeth Bennet. A new stage production, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The New Musical, was presented in concert on 21 October 2008 in Rochester, New York, with Colin Donnell as Darcy.

Bride and Prejudice, a movie by Gurinder Chadha, starring Aishwarya Rai, is a Bollywood adaptation of the novel; while Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy (2003), starring Kam Heskin and Orlando Seale, places the novel at a Mormon university in modern times. The Off-Broadway musical I Love You Because reverses the gender of the main roles, set in modern-day New York City. The Japanese comic Hana Yori Dango by Yoko Kamio, in which the wealthy, arrogant and proud protagonist, Doumyouji Tsukasa, falls in love with a poor, lower-class girl named Makino Tsukushi, is loosely based on Pride and Prejudice. A 2008 Israeli television six-part miniseries set the story in the Galilee with Mr Darcy a well-paid worker in the high-tech industry.

Pride and Prejudice has also crossed into the science fiction and horror genres. In the 1997 episode of science fiction comedy Red Dwarf entitled “Beyond a Joke“, the crew of the space ship relax in a virtual reality rendition of “Pride and Prejudice Land” in “Jane Austen World”. The central premise of the television miniseries Lost in Austen is a modern woman suddenly swapping lives with that of Elizabeth Bennet. In February 2009, it was announced that Elton John‘s Rocket Pictures production company was making a film, Pride and Predator, based on the story, but with the added twist of an alien landing in Longbourn. Also in production is the movie Pride and Prejudice and Zombies based on the book of the same name written by Seth Grahame-Smith, where the village of Longbourn is terrorized by zombies.

The book has also been adapted for modern times in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, a mixed media web show created by Hank Green and Bernie Su. The video blog follows Lizzie Bennet, a graduate student in mass communications, and includes companion video blogs, Twitter accounts, and tumblrs for many of the other characters.

This summer, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publication of the novel in 1813, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London will be performing Simon Reade’s stage adaptation. The production will be directed by Deborah Bruce.

It is amazing that this novel’s popularity refuses to ebb . And it is sad that I am yet to redeem my pledge to read and appreciate this immortal and timeless classic called ” Pride and Prejudice ” . On the 200 anniversary , I am again promising myself to read this novel soon . Though my time is consumed by my acting academy Vidur’s Kreating Charakters  , but still I intend to read the novel soon .

[ Some facts and data about ” Pride and Prejudice ” has been taken from Wikipedia . I am indebted . ]

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.vidur.co.in

www.kreatingcharakters.net

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www.vidurfilms.com

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George Orwell & Bihar Connection

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           DECEMBER 03 , 2012           11.59 P.M.

In today’s newspaper I read an innocuous article about my favourite writer George Orwell . It was about his birthplace in Motihari , Bihar . I always knew that he was born in Bihar but I was shocked to see the dilapidated building where George Orwell was born and spent some of his earlier years . Rooftop tiles are caving in and its neglected existence is precariously waiting for a calamity .

Compare the above structure with Orwell’s well maintained house in London . You can see the difference .

George Orwell’s House, Portobello Road – London. (Photo credit: Jim Linwood)

Even his house in Burma , where he stayed for few years ,  is well maintained compared to the Motihari , Bihar house where he was born .

The house George Orwell stayed in while in Katha, Burma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nitish Kumar – Chief Minister , Bihar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bihar government headed by Nitish Kumar is doing nothing to preserve the historic structure . Nitish Kumar has time to visit Pakistan and sing paeans in praise of present – day rulers of Pakistan . He has enough time to criticize Narendra Modi and still maintaining relationship with Bharatiya Janata Party but he or his government has no time for preservation of George Orwell’s birthplace . I doubt majority of present – day dispensation in Bihar is oblivious of Orwell’s importance . For them demonizing Narendra Modi is more important .

[ To make Nitish Kumar and his ministers – in – crime aware of George Orwell’s importance , I am reproducing some fact about his literary genius from Wikipedia . ]

George Orwell in Hampstead On the corner of Pond Street and South End Road, opposite the Royal Free Hospital. The bookshop has long gone. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Eric Arthur Blair

(25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950)

Eric Arthur Blair , known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and journalist.

Orwell wrote literary criticism, poetry, fiction and polemical journalism. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945), which together have sold more copies than any two books by any other 20th-century author.

His book Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, is widely acclaimed, as are his numerous essays on politics, literature, language and culture. In 2008, The Times ranked him second on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945″.

Cover of Animal Farm: Centennial Edition

George Orwell, 1984. This self-made image is based on a picture that appears in an old acreditation for the BNUJ.) Picture of George Orwell taken from File:GeoreOrwell.jpg. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Orwell’s work continues to influence popular and political culture, and the term Orwellian—descriptive of totalitarian or authoritarian social practices—has entered the vernacular with several of his neologisms, such as doublethink, thoughtcrime, Big Brother and thought police.

It is sad that his birthplace is so neglected and is on the verge of extinction . I am a huge fan of George Orwell and during my Allahabad days , have read his above mentioned books , ” Animal Form ” and ” 1984 ” . I remember many dull and dusty summer afternoons and long , cold and wintry winter nights of Allahabad , when sitting in my room of Sir Ganga Nath Jha Hostel , I used to discuss these books with my friends and seniors . Orwell had huge fan following among my generation .

My generation used to hero – worship George Orwell . I am extremely sad and I know that every one of my generation will be feeling the same .

I , on behalf of myself and all the students and staff of my acting institute  Vidur’s Kreating Charakters  , denounce Bihar government in strongest term and urge them to shed their apathy . George Orwell is too important a literary giant to get this treatment .

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.vidur.co.in

www.kreatingcharakters.net

www.vidurfilms.com

www.twitter.com/VidurChaturvedi

www.jaibhojpuri.com/profile/VidurChaturvedi

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Yes , I Am Acting Tutor , Not Acting Trainer

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA           OCTOBER 12 , 2012           00.45 A.M.

IF IGNORANCE IS BLISS , THEN IT IS FOOLISH TO BE WISE ; A Proverb

My country has unique quality . Here you will find people who claim that they know everything . Without reading literature , they can teach literature . Without watching old classic films , they can endlessly give sermon on films . Without meeting a single film legend , they boast about being in touch of all the legends of cinema . They can claim that they are polyglot and can write and speak impeccable English . It is another thing that their knowledge of language is limited and their spelling is horribly wrong .

When it comes to languages I am puritan . I did my Post Graduation in English Literature from Allahabad University , which is known as Oxford of the East . Therefore when I see a wrong spelling or a wrong sentence I squirm . I admire and try to follow Queen’s English .

In olden days , standard of education was so high in India that even a wood-cutter could speak impeccable Sanskrit . Let me tell a story . Raja Bhoj , who is known for his erudition and knowledge , was roaming around in a forest . He saw an old wood-cutter . That old wood-cutter was walking with difficulty because of the woods he was carrying on his shoulder . Raja Bhoj thought of helping him . He asked the wood-cutter , ” किं स्कन्धं बाधति ? ” [ Is your shoulder paining ? ] As per Sanskrit grammar , the verb should have been बाधते and not बाधति . Old wood-cutter looked at the king and answered back , ” स्कन्धं न बाधते राजन , यथा बाधति बाधते ” [ My shoulder is not paining but the use of wrong word बाधति is definitely painful. ]

But this is an old story . This kind of knowledge and education is a thing of past . Much water has flown down the holy Ganga . So wrong sentences and wrong spellings are order of the day .

Let me come to the point . Recently I was made aware that I am just a tutor and not the trainer of acting . Acerbic tone of the statement made it clear that it is a gibe and not a genuine praise . Gentleman who made the barb does not know the real meaning of Trainer . Just look at the meaning of trainer given in the dictionary :

TRAINER

==========

noun.

1. a staff member on an athletic team who gives first aid and therapy to injured players.

2. a person who trains athletes; coach.

3. a person who trains racehorses or other animals for contests, shows, or performances.

4. an airplane or a simulated aircraft used in training crew members, especially pilots.

I don’t find any reference of acting or fine arts here . Word Trainer is used for the coach of animals , machines or athletes .

Now look at the meaning of tutor :

TUTOR

=========

noun.

1. a person employed to instruct another in some branch or branches of learning, especially a private instructor.

2. a teacher of academic rank in some American universities and colleges.

3. a teacher without institutional connection who assists students in preparing for examinations.

4. (especially at Oxford and Cambridge) a university officer, usually a fellow, responsible for teaching and supervising a number of undergraduates.

5. the guardian of a boy or girl below the age of puberty or majority.

-v.t.

6. to act as a tutor to; teach or instruct, especially privately.

7. to have the guardianship, instruction, or care of.

8. to instruct under handedly; coach: to tutor a witness before he testifies.

9. Archaic.
a. to train, school, or discipline.
b. to admonish or reprove.

-v.i.
10. to act as a tutor or private instructor.
11. to study privately with a tutor.

Trainer is associated with animals and tutor is associated with study , knowledge and fine arts . We can find first reference of a tutor in 1631 . You can see the photograph of Prince Charles Louis with his Tutor posted below .

Prince Charles Louis with his Tutor (1631) by Jan Lievens (1607-1674), Dutch painter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Almost 240 years later we find another eminent tutor of Oxford University . You can see the photograph posted below .

Mandell Creighton, Oxford tutor in 1870, a year before he met Louise. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Peter Neumann, British mathematician and Senior tutor at The Queen’s College, Oxford (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There was another tutor of repute in that era . I am posting portrait of Vilém Gabler (1821 – 1897), Czech teacher, who was private tutor in rich families .

Portrait of Vilém Gabler (1821 – 1897), Czech teacher, private tutor in rich families, long-time director of high school for girls in Prague and author of textbooks and travelogues. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now go through the following synonyms of tutor :

Synonyms of Tutor :

====================

coach, direct, discipline, drill, drum into, edify, educate, guide, instruct, lay it out for, lecture, let in on, ready, school, train, update

So it is amply clear that in the field of art , fine arts and acting , there could only be a tutor and not trainer . I don’t know how and when it started but these days the word Acting Trainer is in vogue . I have no problem with the word Acting Trainer . But Tutor is not derogatory . On the contrary Tutor is the right and most appropriate word for an acting coach .

But as I have written in the beginning :

IF IGNORANCE IS BLISS , THEN IT IS FOOLISH TO BE WISE ; A Proverb

There are Acting Trainers of Mumbai , Acting Trainers of India . Some Bollywood Acting Trainers use the title Acting Guru also . All the reputed and not so reputed Acting Schools of Mumbai and Acting Schools of India take pride in the fact that they have employed Acting Trainers of repute . Let them take the cake .

I state with all the humility that I am the one and only Acting Tutor of India . I am fully satisfied with my life as an Acting Tutor . If people think that being tutor is inferior than a trainer , it is their complexes . It is their limited knowledge of Queen’s English .

But as I have stated in the beginning :

IF IGNORANCE IS BLISS , THEN IT IS FOOLISH TO BE WISE ; A Proverb

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.vidur.co.in

www.kreatingcharakters.net

www.vidurfilms.com

www.twitter.com/VidurChaturvedi

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