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Halfway to Hollywood: Diaries 1980--1988 Hardcover – March 15, 2011
| Michael Palin (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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- Print length680 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherThomas Dunne Books
- Publication dateMarch 15, 2011
- Dimensions6.32 x 1.82 x 9.53 inches
- ISBN-100312682026
- ISBN-13978-0312682026
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Pythonphiles will find this essential, of course. But fans of good writing should dip into these pages, too, for Palin--Michael, not Sarah--knows his way around a book."--Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Diaries 1969-1979: The Python Years
"For Palin it has been one hell of a ride, but he seems to have maintained equilibrium all along the way. . . . In sum, it’s tempting to call him a Renaissance Man. But that, as any Pythonite would be quick to tell you, would be silly.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World
“Michael Palin is not just one of Britain’s foremost comedy character actors, he also talks a lot. Yap, yap, yap he goes, all day long and through the night . . . then, some nights, when everyone else has gone to bed, he goes home and writes up a diary.” —John Cleese
"Charming and at times revelatory . . . A voice of (relative sanity) in the eye of a comedic storm, Palin paints so vivid a picture that the reader becomes a Python by proxy.” —The New York Times Book
Review“It is terrifically good: funny, astute, and wonderfully written. . . . ”—The Boston Globe
“This combination of niceness, with his natural volubility, creates Palin’s expansiveness.” ---David Baddiel, The Times
“A real delight to read.” ---Saga Magazine (UK)
“His showbiz observations are so absorbing. . . . Palin is an elegant and engaging writer.” ---William Cook, The Guardian (UK)
“A wealth of fascinating stuff about Monty Python.” ---The Independent (UK)
“Our favourite TV explorer shows us the workings of an unstoppable machine.” ---Daily Express (UK)
“A riveting commentary to a remarkably creative decade.” ---Academy (UK)
About the Author
MICHAEL PALIN is a scriptwriter, comedian, novelist, television presenter, actor and playwright. He established his reputation with Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Ripping Yarns. His work also includes several films with Monty Python, as well as The Missionary, A Private Function, A Fish Called Wanda, American Friends and Fierce Creatures. His television credits include two films for the BBC’s Great Railway Journeys, the plays East of Ipswich and Number 27, and Alan Bleasdale’s GBH.
In 2006 the first volume of his diaries, 1969-1979: The Python Years, became an international bestseller. He has also written books to accompany his seven very successful travel series, Around the World in 80 Days, Pole to Pole, Full Circle, Hemingway Adventure, Sahara, Himalaya and New Europe. He is the author of a number of children’s stories, the play The Weekend and the novel Hemingway’s Chair.
Product details
- Publisher : Thomas Dunne Books; 1st edition (March 15, 2011)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 680 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0312682026
- ISBN-13 : 978-0312682026
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.32 x 1.82 x 9.53 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #888,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,127 in Television Performer Biographies
- #7,128 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #26,026 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Michael Palin has written and starred in numerous TV programmes and films, from Monty Python and Ripping Yarns to The Missionary and The Death of Stalin. He has also made several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, his journeys taking him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil. His books include accounts of his journeys, novels (Hemingway’s Chair and The Truth) and several volumes of diaries. From 2009 to 2012 he was president of the Royal Geographical Society. He received a BAFTA fellowship in 2013, and a knighthood in the 2019 New Year Honours list. He lives in London.
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(Note: if you're looking for a "Python" diary, this is NOT it. Read Palin's first diary collection instead. The timeline of this book is AFTER "Flying Circus" went off the air and goes up until just before his "Around the World" project.)
Top reviews from other countries
This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Bad because you get a lot of irrelevant information ("Woke at 7:45am" etc), but good because it's open, frank and detailed. A surprising subject for me was how money was handled. Most people would be used to a regular monthly wage, but Palin is occasionally in discussion for years about "getting me some more money". "Some" meaning a huge lump sum.
I also like the honest approach to his travel and work schedules, and his description of how weary it made him at times.
An interesting insight, but I would have preferred it in the form of an autobiography.







