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The Wimbledon Trilogy
The Wimbledon Trilogy consists of three books written by Nigel Williams set in Wimbledon, London and published by Faber & Faber: *''The Wimbledon Poisoner'' (1990, ) : Henry Farr, a struggling solicitor is desperate to get rid of his wife, Elinor and decides to poison her, following the example of Everett Maltby, the original Wimbledon Poisoner. He obtains a quantity of thallium from a chemist using a forged optician's order and bastes a roast chicken with it. Unfortunately his wife is not feeling hungry and neighbour Donald arrives unexpectedly as the meal is served and takes a large portion with tragic results. Soon his friends and neighbours are dying in great numbers as the poisoning continues to misfire, and at every turn Henry is dogged by Inspector Rush, a friend of Elinor's... *''They Came from SW19'' (1992, ) : 14 year-old ufologist Simon Britten's father has just died and his spiritualist mother attempts to contact him through the advocacy of The First Church of Chri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nigel Williams (author)
Nigel Williams (born 20 January 1948) is an English novelist, screenwriter and playwright. Biography Williams was born in Cheadle, Cheshire. He was educated at Highgate School, north London and Oriel College, Oxford, is married with three sons and lives in Putney, southwest London. After graduating from Oxford, Williams joined the BBC as a general trainee, and worked as an arts producer for the corporation eventually becoming the editor of '' Omnibus'' and ''Bookmark''.Geraldine Bedel"All roads lead to Croydon" ''The Observer'', 14 April 2002 His first novel ''My Life Closed Twice'' won the 1978 Somerset Maugham Award The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham in 1947 the awards enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience in foreign countries. The awa .... For his screen adaptation of William Horwood (novelist), William Horwood's ''Skallagrigg'' (1994) he won a Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ismailis
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept Musa al-Kadhim, the younger brother of Isma'il, as the true Imām. Isma'ilism rose at one point to become the largest branch of Shia Islam, climaxing as a political power with the Fatimid Caliphate in the 10th through 12th centuries. Ismailis believe in the oneness of God, as well as the closing of divine revelation with Muhammad, whom they see as "the final Prophet and Messenger of God to all humanity". The Isma'ili and the Twelvers both accept the same six initial Imams; the Isma'ili accept Isma'il ibn Jafar as the seventh Imam. After the death of Muhammad ibn Isma'il in the 8th century CE, the teachings of Ismailism further transformed into the belief system as it is known tod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Literary Trilogies
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed. Literature is a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual, or political role. Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and the essay. Within its broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other printed information on a particular subject.''OED'' Etymologically, the term derives from Latin ''literatura/litteratura'' "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing formed with letters," from ''litera/littera'' "letter". In spite of this, the term has also been applied to spoken or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Novel Series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher. Publishers' reprint series Reprint series of public domain fiction (and sometimes nonfiction) books appeared as early as the 18th century, with the series ''The Poets of Great Britain Complete from Chaucer to Churchill'' (founded by British publisher John Bell in 1777). In 1841 the German Tauchnitz publishing firm launched the ''Collection of British and American Authors'', a reprint series of inexpensive paperbound editions of both public domain and copyrighted fiction and nonfiction works. This book series was unique for paying living authors of the works published even though copyright protection did not exist between nations in the 19th century. Later British reprint series were to include the ''Routledge's Railway Library ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Philip Jackson (actor)
Philip Jackson (born 18 June 1948) is an English actor known for his many television and film roles, most notably as Chief Inspector Japp in both the television series ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'' and in BBC Radio dramatisations of Poirot stories; as Melvin "Dylan" Bottomley in ''Porridge''; and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the cult 1980s series ''Robin of Sherwood''. Life and career Jackson was born in Retford, Nottinghamshire. He started acting while studying Drama and German at the University of Bristol, and has worked in the theatre in Leeds, Liverpool and London. His stage work includes Pozzo in Samuel Beckett's '' Waiting for Godot'' at the Queen's Theatre in the West End in 1991 and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's ''Death of a Salesman'' at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds in 2010. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in '' Little Voice'' (1998). His many television appearances have included ''Coronation Street'', ''Robi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alison Steadman
Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as Mari in the original production of ''The Rise and Fall of Little Voice''. In a 2007 Channel 4 poll, the ‘50 Greatest Actors’ voted for by other actors, she was ranked 42. Steadman made her professional stage debut in 1968 and went on to establish her career in Mike Leigh's 1970s TV plays ''Nuts in May'' (1976) and ''Abigail's Party'' (1977). She received BAFTA TV Award nominations for the 1986 BBC serial ''The Singing Detective'' and in 2001 for the ITV drama series ''Fat Friends'' (2000–2005). Other television roles include ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995), ''Gavin & Stacey'' (2007–2010, 2019) and ''Orphan Black'' (2015–2016). Her other film appearances include ''A Private Function'' (1984), ''Topsy-Turvy'' (1999), ''The Life and De ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Lindsay (actor)
Robert Lindsay Stevenson (born 13 December 1949) is an English actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Tony Award and two Laurence Olivier Awards. His first major role on TV was playing Wolfie Smith in ''Citizen Smith''. He appeared in sitcoms, most notably as Ben Harper in ''My Family'', playing the role for over a decade, and narrated TV adaptations of the children's television series ''Brambly Hedge''. His film appearances include ''Fierce Creatures'' and ''Wimbledon''. He has appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in musical theatre. Early life Lindsay was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, to Joyce (''née'' Dunmore) and Norman Stevenson, who worked at the local Stanton Ironworks. He was one of three children and his father was a World War II veteran, having been on a minesweeper. After leaving Gladstone Boys' School, [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Young (director)
:''Not be confused with Robert M. Young (director).'' Robert William Young (born 16 March 1933) is a British television and film director. Young was born in Cheltenham, and in the 1980s and early 1990s, established himself as a leading director of British TV drama. In the 1970s, he directed ''Vampire Circus'' (1972), '' Soldier's Home'' (1977) and an episode of ''Hammer House of Horror''. He directed several episodes of ''Minder'' and '' Bergerac'' in the early 1980s, and the acclaimed TV serial ''The Mad Death'' which centred on a rabies outbreak. Perhaps his best remembered television work was on ''Robin of Sherwood'', for which he directed many of the best-regarded episodes. Young moved towards black comedy in the early 1990s, directing ''Jeeves and Wooster'' based on the stories written by P.G. Wodehouse, and '' G.B.H.'', for which he was nominated for a BAFTA award. It was partly on the strength of ''GBH'' that he was assigned to direct '' Fierce Creatures'', John Cle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wimbledon Poisoner (TV Series)
The Wimbledon Trilogy consists of three books written by Nigel Williams set in Wimbledon, London and published by Faber & Faber: *''The Wimbledon Poisoner'' (1990, ) : Henry Farr, a struggling solicitor is desperate to get rid of his wife, Elinor and decides to poison her, following the example of Everett Maltby, the original Wimbledon Poisoner. He obtains a quantity of thallium from a chemist using a forged optician's order and bastes a roast chicken with it. Unfortunately his wife is not feeling hungry and neighbour Donald arrives unexpectedly as the meal is served and takes a large portion with tragic results. Soon his friends and neighbours are dying in great numbers as the poisoning continues to misfire, and at every turn Henry is dogged by Inspector Rush, a friend of Elinor's... *''They Came from SW19'' (1992, ) : 14 year-old ufologist Simon Britten's father has just died and his spiritualist mother attempts to contact him through the advocacy of The First Church of Chri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Occultation
Occultation ( ar, غَيْبَة, ') in Shia Islam refers to the eschatological belief that Mahdi, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, has already been born and subsequently concealed, but will reemerge to establish justice and peace on earth in the end of time. The signs of his (re)appearance are largely common in Shia and Sunni, (although Sunni do not believe the Mahdi has already been born and is in occultation), and the belief in the eschatological Mahdi remains popular among all Muslims, possibly owing to numerous traditions to this effect in canonical Sunni and Shia sources. The branches of Shia Islam that believe in it, however, differ in the identity of Mahdi. The mainstream Shia identifies him as Muhammad al-Mahdi, the twelfth imam, who is believed to be responsible for the affairs of men and, in particular, their inward spiritual guidance during the occultation. Twelver Shia Twelver Shia is the mainstream branch of Shia Islam, accounting for 85 percent of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muhammad Al-Mahdi
Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Mahdī ( ar, محمد بن الحسن المهدي) is believed by the Twelver Shia to be the last of the Twelve Imams and the eschatological Mahdi, who will emerge in the end of time to establish peace and justice and redeem Islam. Hasan al-Askari, the eleventh Imam, died in 260 AH (873-874 CE), possibly poisoned by the Abbasids. Immediately after his death, his main representative, Uthman ibn Sa'id, claimed that the eleventh Imam had an infant son named Muhammad, who was kept hidden from the public out of fear of Abbasid persecution. Uthman also claimed to represent Muhammad, who had entered a state of occultation. Other local representatives of al-Askari largely supported these assertions, while the Shia community fragmented into several sects over al-Askari's succession. All these sects, however, are said to have disappeared after a few decades except the Twelvers, who accept the son of al-Askari as the twelfth and final Imam in occultation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance. Thus for Sunnis, anyone can study the basic Islamic sciences and become an Imam. For most Shia Muslims, the Imams are absolute infallible leaders of the Islamic community after the Prophet. Shias consider the term to be only applicable to the members and descendents of the '' Ahl al-Bayt'', the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Twelver Shiasm there are 14 infallibles, 12 of which are Imams, the final being Imam Mahdi who will return at the end of times. The title was also used by the Zaidi Shia Imams of Yemen, who eventually founded the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (1918–1970). Sunni imams Sunni Islam does not have imams in the same sense as the Shi'a, an importan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
