My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor [Hardcover]

Alec Guinness (Author), John le Carre (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

Covering the year 1995 up to the summer of 1996, the distinguished English actor offers a collection of spontaneous reflections on the theater, books and art, the church, gatherings with famous friends, and the English countryside. 25,000 first printing."

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In 1994, Guinness was approached by Charles Moore, the editor of the Sunday Telegraph, to keep a diary in 1995, from which he would publish two or three selections in the paper. Obviously, Moore recognized that what he got was a better product than he had bargained for, and the result is this book. Guinness was 81 during the year of his "scribbling," and readers will hope that they are as vigorous and thought-provoking when they reach that age. The actor's comments on books, paintings, other actors, and the like reveal a sharp eye and an occasional endearing quirkiness?so much so that readers who finish the book will want to invite him to lunch. Perhaps as interesting as the book is the preface by John Le Carre, the author who created George Smiley and then watched Guinness bring him to life in a series of TV dramatizations. Le Carre says that Guinness is "not a comfortable companion"?but he says it so gracefully that Guinness forgives him, and so will you. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.?Susan L. Peters, Emory Univ. Lib., Atlanta
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

"I never liked New Year's Day," begins Guinness, but he decided to start this diary with his 1 January 1995 entry; and he ends the diary on 6 June_ 1996, in acknowledgment of the momentous day in 1940 when his son Matthew was born, or "possibly" the Normandy invasion. The point is that Guinness is concerned so much with beginnings and endings that he calls the reader's attention to them, reminding one and all that the sun is most certainly setting on the end of a sublime actor's days. And there is deep sadness to his recordings of the passings of dear friends and the preparations for memorials. Yet, the diary is about so much more than reflections on death; it is about the full life being lived by a much-beloved actor whose name will long be remembered. Sir Alec's friend John le Carrehas written a warm foreword that complements the diary nicely. Consider it a coda to Guinness' best-selling 1986 autobiography, Blessings in Disguise. Bonnie Smothers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First Edition edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670875899
• ISBN-13: 978-0670875894
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,208,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly entertaining and thought-provoking, October 9, 1999

By 

R. B. Bernstein "R. B. Bernstein, Adjunct Pro... (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Name Escapes Me (Paperback)

In this, the first of his two volumes (so far, I hope) based on his journal, the great actor Sir Alec Guinness makes writing and reading seem as effortless as his acting. His graceful, lucid prose is remarkable, as are his observations and ruminations on his life, on the craft of acting (he never lets one forget that acting is a craft with exacting standards of professionalism), on his reading, on his religious life, on the world around him, and on his family and friends. He is one of the sharpest yet kindest observers of the human comedy, and reading him is not only an unalloyed pleasure but nourishing to the mind and the heart. Readers of this book should scour used-bookstores for BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE and should also hunt down his new book A POSITIVELY FINAL APPEARANCE.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed this book, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Name Escapes Me (Paperback)

I haven't hear the audio version of Sir Alec's diary: don't need to since I can hear his voice in my head as I read. Gracious to a fault about his fellow actors, prickly about fans who invade his privacy (whether spying him at a museum or appearing in the back garden), exasperated at the Star Wars fame, he is a truly eccentric Englishman and proud of it. I love it when he admits he probably went on and on while telling a story; a common fault of the loquacious and the aging. Pokes fun at himself and endears himself all the more. Delightful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The man behind the Sir, July 4, 1998

By 

Antje Freudenberg (Adendorf/ Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Name Escapes Me (Penguin Audiobooks) (Audio Cassette)

"My Name Escapes Me" is one of those audiobooks you want to spend an undisturbed evening with, curled up in your most comfortable armchair, armed with a pot of tea. I can't say what I expected when I bought this tape, but definately not "meeting" Alec Guinness on such a personal level. His gentle humor charmed me within the first minutes of listening, and his out-look on life itself is something you don't want to miss. You suffer with him upon the loss of another friend but moments later can join him in celebrating life and whatever it has to offer. You like Alec Guinness - this tape is a must.