This is "Don't Miss TV" for fans of McCourt and his groundbreaking memoir.Frank McCourt, Encore Booknotes: Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
From 1997, Author Frank McCourt was a guest on Booknotes to talk about Angela's Ashes: A Memoir. The book chronicles the author's life growing up in an impoverished section of Limerick, Ireland, as well as his childhood spent in New York City. His father was an alcoholic who at times spent the majority of his paycheck on alcohol, leaving his family hungry. Mr. McCourt writes about this as well as seeing three siblings die prematurely because of starvation or disease. The author also talks about the gift of storytelling that his father gave him which resulted in a career spent teaching and writing. Mr. McCourt died on July 19, 2009.
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Thursday, July 23, 2009
1997 Frank McCourt Interview to Be Shown on Book TV Saturday, July 25
Word comes via email from Book TV that its 1997 Booknotes interview with Frank McCourt about his Angela's Ashes will be rerun this weekend:
Sam, I wish I had Book TV... but I don't.
ReplyDeleteDid you watch this program?
I bet it was awesome. I just absolutely loved Angela's Ashes when I read it way back when.
I have 'Tis, and have not read it yet. Perhaps now is the time!
I once wrote a review of Ashes, and here is the last portion of my review....
Frank says of his father's false promises... "He'll give us a nickel for ice cream if we promise to die for Ireland and we promise but we never get the nickel." Injustice.
In my opinion, the redeeming majesty of this memoir is that through it we learn a wondrous fact... that shamelessness, irresponsibility, and stupidity do not necessarily have to be handed down to the next generation. Frank broke the mold, and chose self-awareness as his aspiration.
I believe that the crucial turning point in his life came when, at the age of eleven he was convalescing at a hospital and came to the conclusion that "it's lovely to know the world can't interfere with the inside of your head."
As readers of Angela's Ashes, we become the grateful recipients of this precocious revelation.
Mr. McCourt has received much recognition for his book, and all of it is deserved. I have no idea what he has gained monetarily from its publication, but somehow I think it's a bit more than his aforesaid promised nickel. Way to go. You are an inspiration to the world.
I did watch part of it, Cip, and it was especially moving and meaningful under the circumstances. McCourt was quite a good interview and story teller in person.
ReplyDeleteYour review was right on...well done, my friend. I enjoyed reading that.