Deric Longden

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Deric Longden (born 1936 in Chesterfield , Derbyshire , † June 22, 2013 in Marsh , West Yorkshire ) was a British writer and screenwriter .

life and career

Longden ran a women's underwear company before he started writing in the 1970s. He wrote lyrics for several popular BBC radio programs. With his wife Diana suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , he was forced to sell his business and make writing his profession. His wife succumbed to her illness in 1985, and Longden processed his experiences in the book Diana's Story , published in 1989, which became his breakthrough as a writer. The book was filmed in 1993 by the BBC under the title Wide-Eyed and Legless with Julie Walters , Jim Broadbent and Thora Hird in the lead roles. His second book, Lost for Words , is also autobiographical and deals with his mother's aging and death. The book was also made for television with Thora Hird in the role of Longden's mother and Pete Postlethwaite played Deric Longden. The film won an Emmy for Best Foreign Drama and a BAFTA for Best Female Leading Role.

His other books also deal with his own life in a humorous way, including several books about his life with cats, two of which have been translated into German so far.

Longden married the visually impaired writer Aileen Armitage in 1990 and lives with her in Huddersfield , Yorkshire . Both received honorary degrees from Huddersfield University in 2002 . He has two grown children from his marriage to Diana.

Longden died on June 22, 2013, at the age of 77, of esophageal cancer at his home in Marsh , a suburb of Huddersfield .

Works

  • Diana's Story , 1989
  • Lost for Words , 1991
  • The Cat Who Came in from the Cold , 1991 (German: The kitten that came out of the rain )
  • I'm a Stranger Here Myself , 1994
  • Enough to Make a Cat Laugh , 1996 (German: A kitten rarely comes alone )
  • A Play on Words , 2000
  • Paws in the Proceedings , 2007

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Roy Wright: Best-selling Huddersfield author Deric Longden dies aged 77. In: Huddersfield Examiner, June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ [Without a name]: Obituary: Deric Longden. In: Huddersfield Examiner, June 25, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
personal data
SURNAME Longden, Deric
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Chesterfield (Derbyshire)
DATE OF DEATH June 22, 2013
Place of death Marsh (West Yorkshire)