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BEING RELEASED VERY SOON! Until this first full biography of Max Ehrmann, author of the phenomenally successful Desiderata, a poem loved worldwide, the genius of this gentle, inspired humanist, who inherited his ‘new American spirituality’ from Thoreau, was lost. But no longer. This biography:
As a young man, he was compared to Walt Whitman and went on to deeply inspire a wildly diverse number of cultural figures from Sylvia Plath (‘milk-and-honey to my weary spirit’) to Pope John Paul II. Desiderata was tattooed on Johnny Depp’s back in Pirates of the Caribbean, and has motivated a myriad of psychologists, therapists, lifestyle gurus, columnists, political and religious leaders, and sports personalities. Actors, writers and singers, including Richard Burton, Jack London, Joan Crawford, Vincent Price, Ali McGraw, Bing Crosby, Leonard Nimoy and Tom Hiddleston have all recorded Desiderata. Part of sixties counter-culture, Les Crane turned it into a no.1 hit song in the seventies. Ehrmann studied under the psychologist William James and philosopher Santayana, was the friend of ‘Golden Age’ writers Theodore Dreiser, Booth Tarkington, Charlotte Gilman Perkins, Cale Rice Young and Whitcomb Riley and others. Supporter of Women’s suffrage, his play The Wife of Marobius echoed Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, while Jesus: A Passion Play was an early portrayal of Jesus as non-divine. His novels were frequently compared to those of Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe. His life and writing are as relevant as ever: ‘Is it not, to be socially-minded to suggest inner peace in a world of outer chaos... to learn to live with dignity and composure in a street-carnival civilization?’ |
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DESIDERATA The Origins of an American Classic
by Tim Dalgleish This book reveals, for the first time, the story behind the writing of ‘Desiderata’. Beloved by millions, the poem was first published in 1927, but its true origins, along with the life of its author, have largely been lost to literary history. This account by actor and author Tim Dalgleish includes not only the story of ‘Desiderata’ but two additional, previously unpublished, chapters from a forthcoming biography of Max Ehrmann. This new material helps bring Max Ehrmann, the author of 'Desiderata', out of the shadows. An underground classic, ‘Desiderata’ first gained wide popularity as ‘the peace poem’ during the counter-culture years of the 1960s. It was pinned to the walls of thousands of students across America and then the 1972 Les Crane recording of the poem sold millions. Sylvia Plath thought ‘Desiderata’ ‘milk-and-honey to [the] weary spirit’, it helped sustain Morgan Freeman in the early years of his career, Richard Burton, Joan Crawford, Bing Crosby, Leonard Nimoy, Ali McGraw, Tom Hiddleston, recorded inspirational versions, Johnny Depp’s back is even tattooed with it in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ ‘Desiderata’ been endlessly anthologized, used by columnists, psychologists, therapists, lifestyle gurus, political, business and religious leaders, sports personalities and artists. It has appeared in myriad cultural arenas: Ellen Terry’s dressing-room; Adlai Stevenson’s deathbed; the only recording of Jack London’s voice is his reading ‘Desiderata’; the controversial Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh made it his spiritual guide, while National Lampoon parodied it! Pope John Paul II, Gene Roddenberry and Reggie Kray loved it. Max Ehrmann, now a part of world culture, deserves a place in the ‘Golden Age of Indiana Literature’ that his friends, Theodore Dreiser, Booth Tarkington, James Whitcomb Riley, Lew Wallace and Gene Stratton Porter secured. This book is part of a campaign to elevate and restore this author's rightful place in American literary history. |
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The Trial of Oscar Wilde by Charles Grolleau
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Secret Armies by John L. Spivak
New Edition edited by Tim Dalgleish The Rachel Maddow of his day, campaigning journalist, John L. Spivak, spent five years investigating the pre-war fascist penetration of America. This new edition includes an introduction, by playwright and author Tim Dalgleish, which places Spivak in the American tradition of campaigning journalists. Dalgleish argues Donald Trump’s MAGA movement has adopted Nazi ropaganda techniques. Newspaper articles from the period are included. |
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Film Work
King of Crime 'More than your average crime film' -Film and TV Now- I was the 'muscle' for eponymous Marcus King played by Mark Wingett (Dead Again, Quodrophenia, The Bill). Released in cinemas in 2018, also featured were Vas Blackwood (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) Claire King (Coronation Street) and Nicholas Brennan from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Finding Fatimah (2017) I had a brief role as Yameen in this 'Funny and heart-warming, hilarious look at the modern British Muslim dating scene' starring Danny Ashok (Four Lions), Nina Wadia (Bend it like Beckham, Eastenders). I also featured in Imagine (2015) a short which recieved 1.6 million hits on youtube and received Special Mention at the Marbella International Film Festival. |
Available on Amazon Prime and Sky
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Over the years I have worked with diverse theatre companies such as RAT, Volcano, Voices of the Holocaust and Carabosse and one of my favourite books is Playing Macbeth - An Actor's Journey into the role which Reader's Favorite called 'A thrilling journey' and (with a big slice of hyperbole) 'Monumental' and (hopefully closer the mark) Amazon Audible USA 'Just plain excellent, beautiful language, Loved it''
