Ifs and Buts (Personal Terms)

Witty and stylish, these extracts from Frederic Raphael’s journal chronicle the life and reflections of the screenwriter. Of special interest to film enthusiasts, this candid memoir includes encounters with David Garnett and Rebecca West—and their vivid recollections of H. G. Wells, Lytton Strachey, D. H. Lawrence, and London’s Bloomsbury—in addition to accounts of working with Diana Dors and almost working with Diane Keaton. Offering a behind-the-scenes look into the world of moviemaking, this absorbing narrative reveals darker reflections on public and private life, on what it is to be a Jew, on terrorism, and on the cruelties within relationships.