Bruce Hastie, a young, naive Scottish engineer, comes to live in a London flat while he works as a graduate apprentice in a turbine factory. It is 1958. He has two contrasting flat-mates, selected by a special agency, a disillusioned actor, Benjamin Garrick, and a rough, crude washing machine salesman, Edward Flunk, also known as Skunk.Bruce starts work at General Turbines Limited in the smoke, grime and heat of the foundry. One lunch-break he finds his chargehand boss, a huge, strong, Yorkshireman nicknamed Heavy, reading ... Read More
Bruce Hastie, a young, naive Scottish engineer, comes to live in a London flat while he works as a graduate apprentice in a turbine factory. It is 1958. He has two contrasting flat-mates, selected by a special agency, a disillusioned actor, Benjamin Garrick, and a rough, crude washing machine salesman, Edward Flunk, also known as Skunk.Bruce starts work at General Turbines Limited in the smoke, grime and heat of the foundry. One lunch-break he finds his chargehand boss, a huge, strong, Yorkshireman nicknamed Heavy, reading and enjoying some Dylan Thomas poetry. This is a paradox that mystifies the class-conscious Bruce whom Heavy brands as an intellectual snob. Heavy expounds on his soapbox that the arts have been kept away from the working class, that they and society at large need saving from rampant materialism and its attendant viciousness by a good dose of the spiritual values that only poetry, art, theatre and classical music can offer.Then follows two chapters that develop the character of Skunk and Benjamin.Skunk, a self-appointed sexual conqueror of women, has the tables turned on him when he encounters an educated, beautiful but unbalanced seductress when called to fix her washing machine that supposedly has electrocuted her dog. Benjamin is sent home sick from rehearsal, accompanied by fellow actor Sally Frinton-Jones. His malaise is psychological for he is disillusioned by the theatre and his performance in it. By this time, Heavy has Bruce believing in his ideas about the need to educate the common masses in the arts. Benjamin, also a convert to Heavy's "renaissance" through Bruce's dogmatism, cannot persuade Sally of the practicality of those ideas. Bruce goes into action by piping Beethoven's 5th Symphony into the motor assembly shop at General Turbines where 300 women work. The music is well received but when his report on allowing the foundryworkers time off to listen to writers, actors and poets is read by the crass managing director Read Less
Add this copy of The Renaissance Group to cart. $16.23, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2001 by Xlibris.
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Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 268 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Signed by author. Cover shows light shelf wear; author's signature on half-title page; pages sharp and bright. Trade paperback; glued binding. 266 p.
Add this copy of The Renaissance Group to cart. $26.13, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Xlibris.
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New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 268 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of The Renaissance Group to cart. $26.14, new condition, Sold by Paperbackshop rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensenville, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Xlibris Corporation.
