Estate of Gilbert Adair
Agent: Isobel Dixon
Biography: A cultural observer, journalist, broadcaster, critic, screenwriter and award-winning novelist, Gilbert Adair wrote regular columns for The Sunday Times, Esquire, and Independent on Sunday. He died in 2011.
His books have been published on both sides of the Atlantic and translated into twenty languages. Gilbert Adair adapted his novel THE DREAMERS for the ‘extraordinarily beautiful’ (Roger Ebert) 2003 film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Adair’s novel LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND was adapted by Richard Kwietnieowski (1997), with John Hurt playing the leading role of Giles De’ath.
‘He will be missed greatly by his admirers and friends for his unique intelligence, talent and delightful company. He leaves a void, in more ways than one.’ – Henry Porter
THE DREAMERS
Literary fiction, 208 pages
Faber & Faber re-release , February 2004
Ambitious first novel about the relationship between Theo, his sister Isabelle, and their naive young American visitor. Their claustrophobic games become ever more erotic and sadistic. Winner of the Authors Club Award for the ‘Best First Novel of the Year’. 2003 film script jointly written by Bernardo Bertolucci and Gilbert Adair. Originally published as THE HOLY INNOCENTS.
LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND
Literary fiction, 146 pages
Grove Atlantic, December 1998
Giles De'Ath is a British novelist so obstinately old-fashioned that he speaks of the ‘current fad for videotape recorders’. Caught in the rain one afternoon, he ducks into a cinema and finds himself watching Hotpants College II, and gazing upon an American heartthrob named Ronnie Bostock. Gilbert Adair's novella is a driven depiction of romantic obsession and frustration, adapted for the excellent film starring John Hurt and Jason Priestley. Its nuanced characterization of a man who trades restraint for recklessness is unforgettable.
A VOID
by Georges Perec, translated by Gilbert Adair
Literary fiction, 304 pages
Vintage, 2008
Anton Vowl is missing. Ransacking his Paris flat, a group of his faithful companions trawl through his diary for any hint as to his location and, insidiously, a ghost, from Vowl's past starts to cast its malignant shadow. This virtuoso story, chock-full of plots and subplots, shows the skill of both author and translator who impart all the action without a crucial grammatical prop: the letter 'e'.
THE ACT OF ROGER MURGATROYD
Literary fiction, 304 pages
Faber & Faber , November 2006
Part 1 of 3. MURDER SHE WROTE meets GOSFORD PARK. A novel that pays homage to Agatha Christie’s famous locked room mystery but takes it several steps further. A deliciously witty game and a brilliantly conceived mystery.
’A delightful entertainment' – The Times