Wednesday, January 27, 2016

ADDENDUM



Neither a play, a screenplay, nor a simple synopsis of a proposed play is THE TRAVELLER, by Rafael Sabatini. It is curious piece of writing, without a discernible date (so far) and most fortunately printed by George Locke in his publication, Rafael Sabatini: a Researcher’s Companion. For the most part it is like a synopsis, with the author’s asides regarding certain points which a producer might question; but it also breaks out frequently into dialogue and directions, with one additional surprise – a passage of blank verse for Cagliostro! It is hard to take this work seriously, yet it represents in Rafael’s life something approaching an obsession. This is where a journal or letters or reported conversation with a close friend would be such a treasure....

In Locke’s collection of Sabatini’s work there is more than one document which has to do with a commission to write a scenario for a film on Christopher Columbus. He was not asked for a script, only a scenario, but being Rafael he could not resist shifting from narrative into dialogue every now and again. It is sad to think of all this material known to exist yet out of reach of any researcher. As for the scenario, although Sydney and Muriel Box rejected it, it served Rafael as the foundation for his novel, COLUMBUS, and – mysteriously – bits of dialogue and other material turn up in the deadly dull film made by the Boxes. Rafael loved mysteries, and enjoyed being mysterious. Does he enjoy reserving something of himself hidden from us who have so diligently sought him?


3 comments:

Fair_Marina said...

Oh, that mysterious Sabatini, how many mysteries He still have for us... (:

Ruth said...

Does he not!
But in part the press of his time are blameworthy. I simply cannot understand why such stupid or else such trite questions were put to him over and over. When he went to the U.S. why was he not asked if he enjoyed jazz, and if yes, whose music or performance did he enjoy? It passes belief what idiotic questions were put to him instead.

A great deal of the blame lies with Christine Sabatini, who never put Rafael's papers in order and gave no thought to having them preserved somewhere.

There are probably some very important papers in George Locke's Sabatini collection but what is to become of them Heaven knows....

Fair_Marina said...

Interviewers are seldom creative in the part of their questions, it seems to be some kind of disease... Cannot understand sometimes the choice of questions as well, either this is the trend, the readers' demand or just unwillingness to think a little.