British Comedy Guide

Bruce Montgomery

  • English
  • Writer, musical creative and composer

David Whittle - Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life In Music And Books

David Whittle - Bruce Montgomery/Edmund Crispin: A Life In Music And Books

Under his real name, Bruce Montgomery (1921-1978) wrote concert music and the scores for almost 50 feature films, including some of the most enduring British comedies of the twentieth century, amongst them a number in the series started by Doctor In The House, and the first six Carry On films.

Under the pseudonym of Edmund Crispin he enjoyed equal success as an author, writing nine highly acclaimed detective novels and a number of short crime stories, as well as compiling anthologies of science fiction which helped to increase the profile of the genre. A close friend of both Philip Larkin and Kingsley Amis, Montgomery did much to encourage their work.

In this first biography of Montgomery, David Whittle draws on interviews with people who knew the writer and composer. These interviews, together with in-depth research, provide great insight into the development of Montgomery as a crime fiction writer and as a composer in the ever-demanding world of films.

During the late 1950s and early '60s these demands were to prove too much for Montgomery. Alcoholism combined with the onset of osteoporosis and a retreat into a semi-reclusive lifestyle resulted in him writing and composing virtually nothing during the last 15 years of his life. David Whittle examines the reasons for Montgomery's early and rapid decline in this thoroughly researched and engagingly written biography.

First published: Monday 28th May 2007

  • Published: Friday 11th November 2016
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • Pages: 336
  • Catalogue: 9781138252226

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  • Published: Wednesday 5th July 2017
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • Download: 11.43mb

BCG may earn commission on sales generated through the links above.

  • Publisher: Routledge
  • Pages: 336
  • Catalogue: 9780754634430

musicMagpie Buy and sell old and new items
Search for this product on eBay

BCG may earn commission on sales generated through the links above.

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