Eric Malpass
Encyclopedia
Eric Lawson Malpass was an English novelist noted for his humorous and witty descriptions of rural family life, in particular that of his creation, the extended
Extended family
The term extended family has several distinct meanings. In modern Western cultures dominated by nuclear family constructs, it has come to be used generically to refer to grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins, whether they live together within the same household or not. However, it may also refer...

 Pentecost family. However, Malpass also wrote historical fiction
Historical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...

, ranging in scope from the late Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 to Edwardian England. Malpass acquired his most devoted readership on the Continent, particularly in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, where most of his books were translated.

Born in Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...

 and educated at King Henry VIII School, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...

, Malpass, while writing in his spare time, worked in a bank before becoming, in 1947, an employee at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

. After his initial successes, especially with Morning's at Seven, he turned to writing full-time. Married with one son, two granddaughters and five great grandchildren, he lived in Long Eaton
Long Eaton
Long Eaton is a town in Derbyshire, England. It lies just north of the River Trent about southwest of Nottingham and is part of the Nottingham Urban Area...

, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

 until five years before his death when he moved to Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham is a small town in Hampshire, England situated at the head of the River Hamble. It is home to the ruins of Bishop's Waltham Palace, an English Heritage monument.-History:...

 in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

.

Novels

Tales from the Pentecost Family:
  • Morning's at Seven (London: Heinemann
    Heinemann (book publisher)
    Heinemann is a UK publishing house founded by William Heinemann in Covent Garden, London in 1890. On William Heinemann's death in 1920 a majority stake was purchased by U.S. publisher Doubleday. It was later acquired by commemorate Thomas Tilling in 1961...

    , 1965
    1965 in literature
    The year 1965 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Lloyd Alexander - The Black Cauldron*J. G. Ballard - The Drought*Ray Bradbury - The Vintage Bradbury*John Brunner...

    )
  • At the Height of the Moon (London: Heinemann, 1967
    1967 in literature
    The year 1967 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Influential science fiction anthology Dangerous Visions published.*Cecil Day-Lewis is selected as the new Poet Laureate of the UK.-New books:...

    )
  • Fortinbras Has Escaped (London: Pan Books
    Pan Books
    Pan Books is an imprint which first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers owned by German publishers, Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group....

    , 1970
    1970 in literature
    The year 1970 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Deliverance by American poet James Dickey published...

    )
  • The Long Long Dances (London: Corgi, 1978
    1978 in literature
    The year 1978 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, a humorous award given annually to books with unusual titles is created. The first winner was Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude...

    )
  • Summer Awakening (London: Corgi, 1978
    1978 in literature
    The year 1978 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, a humorous award given annually to books with unusual titles is created. The first winner was Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude...

    )
  • Evensong
    Evensong
    The term evensong can refer to the following:* Evening Prayer , the Anglican liturgy of Evening Prayer, especially so called when it is sung...

    (1982)
  • Pig-in-the-Middle (1989)


Other humorous novels:
  • Beefy Jones (London
    London
    London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

    : Longmans, Green & Co.
    Longman
    Longman was a publishing company founded in London, England in 1724. It is now an imprint of Pearson Education.-Beginnings:The Longman company was founded by Thomas Longman , the son of Ezekiel Longman , a gentleman of Bristol. Thomas was apprenticed in 1716 to John Osborn, a London bookseller, and...

    , 1957
    1957 in literature
    The year 1957 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Lawrence Durrell publishes the first volume of The Alexandria Quartet. The final of the four volumes will be published in 1960....

    )
  • Oh My Darling Daughter
    Oh My Darling Daughter
    Oh My Darling Daughter is a humorous coming-of-age novel by Eric Malpass first published in 1970. Set in the fictitious Derbyshire village of Shepherd's Delight during Harold Wilson's first term as Prime Minister , Oh My Darling Daughter is about the Kembles, a well-to-do, conservative and...

    (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode
    Eyre & Spottiswoode
    Eyre & Spottiswoode, Ltd. was the London based printing firm that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, after April 1929, a publisher of the same name...

    , 1970
    1970 in literature
    The year 1970 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Deliverance by American poet James Dickey published...

    )
  • Familie Limmerick (1971)


The Shakespeare Trilogy:
  • Part I: Sweet Will (London: Macmillan
    Macmillan Publishers
    Macmillan Publishers Ltd, also known as The Macmillan Group, is a privately held international publishing company owned by Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group. It has offices in 41 countries worldwide and operates in more than thirty others.-History:...

    , 1973
    1973 in literature
    The year 1973 in literature involved several significant events and the writing of many notable books.-Events:*September 25 - The funeral of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda becomes a focus for protests against the new government of Augusto Pinochet...

    )
  • Part II: The Cleopatra Boy (London: Macmillan, 1974
    1974 in literature
    The year 1974 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is founded by Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman.-New books:*Richard Adams - Shardik*Kingsley Amis - Ending Up...

    )
  • Part III: A House of Women (London: Macmillan, 1975
    1975 in literature
    The year 1975 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* August 12 — with the 20-year time limit stipulated by Thomas Mann at his death having expired, sealed packets containing 32 of the author's notebooks were opened in Zurich, Switzerland.* Writing under the...

    )


Other novels with historical background:
  • The Wind Brings Up the Rain (London: Heinemann, 1978
    1978 in literature
    The year 1978 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Bookseller/Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year, a humorous award given annually to books with unusual titles is created. The first winner was Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude...

    )
  • The Raising of Lazarus Pike (1980)
  • The Lamplight and the Stars (London: Hamlyn
    Hamlyn (publishers)
    Hamlyn is a UK publishing company founded by Paul Hamlyn in 1950 with an initial investment of £350. His desire was to create "fine books with the common touch" which remains the foundation of its commercial success...

    , 1985
    1985 in literature
    The year 1985 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-New books:*Isaac Asimov - Robots and Empire*Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale*Jean M. Auel - The Mammoth Hunters*Iain Banks - Walking on Glass...

    )
  • Of Human Frailty (a biographical novel of Thomas Cranmer
    Thomas Cranmer
    Thomas Cranmer was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build a favourable case for Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon which resulted in the separation of the English Church from...

    ) (London: Robert Hale
    Robert Hale
    Robert Hale may refer to:* Robert Hale , physician of Beverly, Massachusetts* Robert Beverly Hale , art writer and curator* Robert F. Hale , Under Secretary of Defense and Assistant Secretary of the Air Force...

    , 1986
    1986 in literature
    The year 1986 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Michael Grade. Controller of BBC One, axes plans to televise Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play.-New books:*Kingsley Amis - The Old Devils...

    )


All his novels were republished in 2001 by House of Stratus.

Filmed versions

Malpass's books have never been filmed in his native England. Rather, it was mainly in Germany again where his success story continued on the big screen.
  • Morgens um sieben ist die Welt noch in Ordnung (In the Morning at Seven the World Is Still in Order) (West Germany
    West Germany
    West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

    , 1968
    1968 in film
    The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...

    ) — directed by Kurt Hoffmann
    Kurt Hoffmann
    Kurt Hoffmann was a German film director. He directed 48 films between 1938 and 1971. His film The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi was entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival.-Selected filmography:...

    , starring Archibald Eser (as seven year old Gaylord Pentecost), Gerlinde Locker
    Gerlinde Locker
    Gerlinde Locker is an Austrian actress.-Selected filmography:* Auch ich war nur ein mittelmäßiger Schüler *Derrick - Season 8, Episode 8: "Prozente" -External links:*...

    , Werner Hinz
    Werner Hinz
    Werner Hinz was a German film actor. He appeared in 70 films between 1935 and 1984.-Selected filmography:* Die Buntkarierten * No Greater Love * The Last Witness...

    , Agnes Windeck
    Agnes Windeck
    Agnes Windeck was a German theatre and film actress. She appeared in 55 films between 1939 and 1973.She was born in Hamburg and started her career at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus. She later worked as a teacher at the drama school of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin...

     and Diana Körner
    Diana Körner
    Diana Körner is a German actress. She is probably best known outside Germany for her brief character in Stanley Kubrick's period film Barry Lyndon.-Selected filmography:...

    ; music by James Last
    James Last
    James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...

    ; based on Morning's at Seven
  • Wenn süß das Mondlicht auf den Hügeln schläft (When Sweet Moonlight Is Sleeping in the Hills) (West Germany, 1969
    1969 in film
    The year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...

    ) — a sequel
    Sequel
    A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

     to the 1968 movie; directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner
    Wolfgang Liebeneiner
    Wolfgang Georg Louis Liebeneiner was a German actor, film director and theater director.He was born in Liebau in Prussian Silesia. In 1928, he was taught by Otto Falckenberg, the director of the Munich Kammerspiele, in acting and directing...

    , with more or less the same cast; based on At the Height of the Moon
  • Als Mutter streikte (When Mother Went On Strike) (West Germany, 1974
    1974 in film
    The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J...

    ) — directed by Eberhard Schröder, starring Johanna Matz
    Johanna Matz
    -Selected filmography:* Season in Salzburg * The White Horse Inn * The Life and Loves of Mozart * Ingrid - Die Geschichte eines Fotomodells * Trees Are Blooming in Vienna * Tales from the Vienna Woods...

    , Gila von Weitershausen
    Gila von Weitershausen
    Baroness Gila von Weitershausen is a German actress. Born in Trebnitz, , Lower Silesia, Germany into an aristocratic family, she has three brothers and two sister and is the great-granddaughter of Georg Graf von Hertling....

    , Gaby Dohm
    Gaby Dohm
    -Selected filmography:* When Mother Went on Strike * The Serpent's Egg * Doktor Faustus * Rosenstrasse -External links:...

     and Elisabeth Flickenschildt
    Elisabeth Flickenschildt
    Elisabeth Ida Marie Flickenschildt was a German actress, producer and author. She appeared in dozens of German language films and television productions from 1935 to 1976...

    ; based on Oh My Darling Daughter
  • Mon ami Gaylord (France
    France
    The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

    , 1979
    1979 in film
    The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....

    ) — a six-part mini-series directed by Pierre Goutas, also based on Morning's at Seven.
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