"In my father's Shadow" by Chris Welles Feder

[tonyw]

I'm avoiding reading Alan's review until I read Christopher's book waiting for me after Finals. Next semester I'll run my 400 level Orson Welles class where I run as much as possible of the ARENA interview since it is equivalent to having the great man himself in class. Finally, someday, I'll like to meet Glenn at his San Francisco watering hole and hopefully listen to his rendition of that number performed in THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI by the original Glenn himself. Also, it is so good to have you on this site, Christoper.

[Alan Brody]

Thanks Glenn, the Dalmatian Coast sounds great, I envy you for having seen it. The only non-U.S. territory I've ever been to is Canada, so I suppose Welles would not have considered me to be very well educated.

I think you put it very well in your review when you said that Christopher's book-

...is the most informative study from a personal perspective of Orson Welles that we are likely to have...the heart of IN MY FATHER'S SHADOW lets us partake in the often unrequited, sometimes neglected, but always proud and magically transforming love she maintained for her father. That experience provides us the empathy and insight no outside observer now alive can fully equal.

So I guess we'll have to wait for Beatrice's book to get more of that empathy and insight.

[Glenn Anders]

Well, Alan, Chris has certainly set a mark for Beatrice to aim at.

I would not be surprised, in time, if there were not a book from the young'un.

Meanwhile, the Dalmatian Coast is one of the most glorious on earth. Unfortunately, during the recent civil war, the Serbians had to shell it, including the unrivaled Medieval marble- walled City of Dubrovnik. And American war planes scattered depleted uranium all along the Bay of Kotor to the south. The last I knew, the road to Kotor, which is older yet, was still closed to ordinary traffic.

Glenn

[Alan Brody]

Well, Alan, Chris has certainly set a mark for Beatrice to aim at.
I would not be surprised, in time, if there were not a book from the young'un.

Or maybe What Went Wrong is, more or less, Beatrice's testament.

[ToddBaesen]

In My Father's Shadow will be released in the UK on February 4th, and their is a nice review of it in THE GUARDIAN:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog ... s-daughter

[Christopher]

I've always thought of a memoir as a highly selective collection of a writer's reminiscences, as opposed to an autobiography which recounts the writer's entire life. Unlike a biographer, a memoirist can pick and choose what to include and what to leave out. So I agree with you, Keats, that each memoir concerning Orson Welles would be a unique work.

[Christopher]

Keats, Thank you for your complimentary words about my book. They are most appreciated.

Well, I guess my identity on this forum is no longer a secret....if it ever was. But now I feel self-conscious and won't be posting too often, although I will continue to read with great interest what everyone here has to say.

[Alan Brody]

Sorry about that; I had thought it was common knowledge - See for example, Matthew's response in the birth announcement thread.

You guys shouldn't assume like that, although you're probably right about her identity being common knowledge for a while. In fact, I'm sure a lot of people on this board figured out Christopher's identity around the time of Rebecca Welles's passing, when she made many riveting posts filled with personal information that made it fairly obvious who she was. But everybody refrained from dragging her out of the closet completely because they didn't want to, as she says, make her feel self-conscious. That's why I think masks are good on a webboard, even though they tend to start slipping off after awhile. Much thanks to Christopher for her book and for her many fascinating contributions to this board, which I hope will continue, whether as "Christopher", or as another identity. This board is half dead now, but hopefully we can continue to provide some useful info for her too.

As far as Welles's letters go, there's an extensive collection at the Lilly Library.

[Alan Brody]

My guess is that, in order to get Welles's letters published, they would probably have to go through Beatrice; which is easier said then done. I seem to recall some guy a few years ago wanting to bring out a book of Welles's newpaper and magazine articles. Needless to say, it hasn't come out yet.