Non-Fiction
Midnight's Revolution
Exceptionally poignant, brilliantly observed, Midnight’s Revolution reveals a vibrant emotional power in a collection of poetry that unpicks a myriad of emotions – love, death, tragedy.
Spanning twenty-three years, the collection vividly dissects intimate personal loss, the gradual decay of love, betrayal and painful spiral of emotional turmoil. With his sharp, jaundiced novelist’s insight, R. J. Dillon has bared, what at times, appears to be a very bitter view of life.
Unlike his novels and non-fiction work, Midnight’s Revolution offers little room to hide behind characters or historical facts and interpretation. Raw, genuine and sometimes too honest, the collection offers numerous voices an opportunity to probe and tease out meaning from the absurdity of modern life.
History on British television (Studies in Popular Culture)
From the resumption of post-war television in Britain, this book explores the production and consumption of factual history programming on British television.
Charting the rise and dominance of television history as a popular cultural form, the book examines how the past has become a model for citizenship, prioritising certain groups and classes, marginalising others. Clearly defined chapters deal with the battle between the BBC and its commercial rivals to become the 'voice of the nation'.
Each chapter critically examines how television history gradually developed into different genres re-representing the aspirations and collective memories of Britain through some of the country's most turbulent periods including the industrial unrest of the 1970s and the Falklands War and how the BBC almost sparked a Cold War incident in the 1950s.
Engaging, informed, easy to read, the book is intended for researchers, teachers and students interested in not only television and historical studies, but for readers keen to understand how collective memory, television and history reinforces nationality, identity and citizenship.
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