Colin rebels by refusing a job offered to him at his father's factory. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. [5] The use of this sport gives Smith the ability to escape from his life as a member of the working class poor. Sillitoe does a great job of capturing the humanity in these characters without reducing them to caricatures. Being a former cross-country runner, I suppose the title and unique format of eight short stories intrigued me enough to check it out. Finally, frustrated and angry, he returns to say he'll be watching Colin. Loved the first story and the writing in several of these shorts-really good stuff. That's not saying it is the only story of merit because there are several stories that are compelling. I want to qualify this rating by saying that the title story in this collection is fantastic, and a few of the others were lovely in their own way. It was an immediate success, telling the story of a rude and amoral young labourer for whom drink and sex on Saturday night provide the only relief from the oppression of the working life. The characters are all in unhappy and near inescapable circumstances. He stole money from a baker and was sentence to spend a couple of years in Borstal, a prison for juvenile delinquents. The film opens with Colin Smith (Tom Courtenay) running, alone, along a bleak country road somewhere in rural England. Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner study guide. The Governor was once a runner himself, and he is especially keen on Colin's abilities because, for the first time, his charges have been invited to compete in a five-mile cross-country run against Ranley, a nearby public school with privileged pupils from upper-class families. The protagonists of each story are up against it, battling with poverty and the temptation to commit petty crime. Life is bleak, with little prospects for a decent future, and after being caught stealing from a bakery he is sent to a borstal (Reform School). The stories in this collection mostly deal with families like Sillitoe's - poor factory workers living in cramped, dirty houses where the noise, soot and grime of the nearby factory is a constant part of their lives. Smith was a teenager from a poor family in Nottingham and his life mainly revolved around petty crimes. The screenplay was written by Alan Sillitoe from his 1959 short story of the same title. it 's great.I have recently read and so satisfied with my master 's decision for choosing this long story for our class.although I 'm not a native English speaker and as a result' undrestanding some slangs was a bit hard for me.cause it has a conventional narrative form but generaaly speaking it was perfect!!!! The Governor is clearly disappointed. The film has characters entrenched in their social context. Its title story recounts the story of a reform school cross-country runner who seizes the perfect opportunity to defy the authority that governs his life. “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” by Alan Sillitoe (The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner, Vintage 1987)A classic for every literary runner’s anthology, this story affirms distance running as a journey through which linear time and … "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner" is a short story by Alan Sillitoe, published in 1959 as part of a short story collection of the same name. The “runner” as a metaphor. A juvenile offender (Sir Tom Courtenay) at a tough reform school impresses its Governor (Sir Michael Redgrave) with his running ability and is encouraged to compete in an upcoming race Alan Sillitoe burst onto the British literary scene in the late 50s & early 60s writing tough and gritty stories predominantly set in the Midlands amongst the working class poor, and dole recipients of a Britain in decline in the post war years. I kind of feel like I may have missed something with these tales (maybe I need to go back and read them again) but while I did really enjoy them and really feel for the main characters and their sense of melancholy and despair, I wasn't as enamoured as I thought I might be given the reviews this has gotten and the reputation it has. The stories here take place in working class England in the immediate pre and post WWII era. The lesson we might draw from our experience, however, is very different from that of the long-distance runner. I love the Northern accent and slang, so I often read very slowly in order to absorb as much as I could. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. They feel crushed by their lives and are only able to assert their freedom in the smallest and often most self-destructive ways. In this text, Sillitoe wrestles with the age old theme of The Other and demonstrates to varying degrees a criticism for how society views those who are considered as such. The "runner" as a metaphor Literature about running has changed over the course of history. The first part of this long story contains little in the way of conventional narrative: it is more in the nature of a manifesto. 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner' was also a movie from 1962, and based on his steely short story, it's narrated by Colin Smith, a young rebellious petty criminal who struggles to stay on the straight and narrow growing up in the poverty hit City of Nottingham. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner at Amazon.com. Hutchings, William. Readers’ questions about The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner. With over fifty volumes to his name, Sillitoe was elected a Fellow of … The original trumpet theme to the film was performed by Fred Muscroft, the Principal Cornet (at the time) of the Scots Guards. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a 1962 British coming-of-age film. Sillitoe's screenplay can be interpreted as either tragic or bathetic by ultimately projecting the protagonist as a working class rebel rather than an otherwise rehabilitated but conformist talent. The protagonist of the title story has to be one of the great rebels of literature, and an interesting opposite to the Marxist concept of an individual's political (class) consciousness. I liked the title story: the twist was devilish and I admit that in a couple of others I was hooked. He tells the surly detective (Dervis Ward) he knows nothing about it. [8], Poster, see wikimedia for further source information, Small, Helen. Read this book using Google Play Books app on your PC, android, iOS devices. These short stories, while gritty and bleak, are well worth the read. It’s distinctly British and middle-class and despite sixty years or so, youth’s expectations and disappointment in the older generations — and in the opposite sex — hasn’t changed much. His Collected Poems was published in 1993, and his Collected Stories and autobiography, Life Without Armour, in 1995. There is both a simplicity and richness to it, and it transported me back to the world I grew up in, right down to the aspidistra in the living room. Anyone familiar with the films of either Ken Loach or Shane meadows will know of the political messages, social issues, and harsh urban realism they deal with, and deal with brilliantly, Sillitoe does the same, only on paper. In fact, he completely rejects the Marxist tradition by emphasizing his individuality--even though the characters in this book are all strongly, proudly, and defiantly English working class, they reject a too-strong group identity, and even perhaps have a certain spirituality (the runner feeling freedom as "the first man" when he goes out for his training in the morning) that helps them accept their role in a cruel world. [7], The film was a box-office disappointment. Colin, sullen and rebellious, immediately catches his eye as a test of his beliefs. The language was evocative and I could picture everything perfectly. In this text, Sillitoe wrestles with the age old theme of The Other and demonstrates to varying degrees a criticism for how society views those who are considered as such. As the two stand at Colin's front door in the rain, the torrent of water pouring down the drainpipe dislodges the money, which washes out around Colin's feet. I like the consistency of the atmosphere. The title story is perhaps the best of the bunch but they’re all very good, and from a historical and sociological point of view ex. But most of all they are just very good and often very moving stories. It is overseen by the Governor (Michael Redgrave), who believes that the hard work and discipline imposed on his charges will ultimately make them useful members of society. Sillitoe is at his finest in first-person stories, where he captures the … “ The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” has long been considered a masterpiece on both the page and the silver screen. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. The first story for which it's titled sets the tone for the whole series of stories; all of which have to do with antagonism between working class characters and Authority...whether that authority be upper-class, the police, or family hierarchy. The stories here take place in working class England in the immediate pre and post WWII era. 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