{"product_id":"9781408174678","title":"Grinning At The Edge: A Biography of Alan Ayckbourn","description":"Now in paperback, the hugely acclaimed, authorised biography of Britain's most popular playwright\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlan Ayckbourn is Britain's most popular playwright and its most private. He has won numerous awards for his plays and has worked with some of theatre's most celebrated names, yet he spends most of his time away from the limelight in a Yorkshire seaside town not writing at all but running a small repertory theatre.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a portrait of a man who - from \u003ccite\u003eRelatively Speaking\u003c\/cite\u003e in 1965 to his double play \u003ccite\u003eHouse and Garden\u003c\/cite\u003e at the National Theatre in 2000 - has chronicled human behaviour, our aspirations and insecurities, while shaping the theatrical experience of millions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Mr Allen's book makes me want to start reading the entire Ayckbourn canon over again...splendid stuff\" Hugh Leonard, \u003ccite\u003eSunday Independent\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Paul Allen has come up with a wise, well-informed book that not only persuades us of Ayckbourn's genius but also helps to explain this complex, driven man\" Michael Billington, \u003ccite\u003eCountry Life\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Lucid, meticulously researched ... this impressively detailed account benefits from Paul Allen's rich inside knowledge of theatre\" Terry Eagleton, \u003ccite\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Thorough and enjoyable\" Christopher Hirst, \u003ccite\u003eIndependent\u003c\/cite\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47140799774960,"sku":"9781408174678","price":21.59,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781408174678_p0.jpg?v=1763718165","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781408174678","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}