In the fall of 2022, the diaries of British actor Alan Rickman will be published.
The rights to the materials were obtained by the Scottish publishing house Canongate Books, which is responsible for publishing the book worldwide with the exception of North America - there it will be prepared for sale by Henry Holt and Company.
According to The Guardian, Alan Rickman began keeping diaries in the early 1990s and originally planned to publish them someday.
The artist continued to record until his death in January 2016.
During this time, 27 diaries were created.
On the pages of his manuscripts, Alan Rickman shared his thoughts on acting - both his own and his colleagues - he wrote reviews of performances, and also talked about friends and about his interest in politics.
In addition, the diaries contain many behind-the-scenes stories related to theatrical and film projects in which Rickman participated.
“The diaries paint a rare portrait of a world-class actor, tireless political activist, avid traveler and loyal friend.
They were conducted by hand from the early 1990s until the very death of the actor and provide a rare opportunity to look into his thoughts, as well as penetrate the artistic, social and political circles in which he moved, "- quoted by THR representatives of Henry Holt and Company.
As the widow of the artist Rima Horton noted, the diaries are also interesting because they will reveal the artist from a new side, unfamiliar to the mass audience.
“In the diaries you can see not only Rickman the actor, but also the real Alan - with his sense of humor, observation, skill and dedication to art,” said Rima Horton.
Canongate Books emphasized that Alan Rickman's diaries turned out to be very sincere and personal: he wrote them as if he were talking to a close friend.
“They consist of virtuoso little sketches: laconic but meaningful paragraphs that outline the whole picture and shed light on his entertaining reflections on himself, colleagues and the world around him.
His diary entries are soulful, insightful and very funny, "- quotes representatives of Canongate Books The Guardian.
© Still from the movie "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (2009)
Interestingly, this is not the first time that Alan Rickman's papers have become public.
In 2018, over 30 boxes of material were put up for auction, spanning the artist's 40-year career.
Among them are copies of scripts, notes, excerpts from interviews, Rickman's personal correspondence with fans and celebrities (including Prince Charles, Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Kate Winslet, Nicole Kidman) and much more.
After the publication of part of the archive, some unexpected facts about the work of the actor were revealed.
So, for example, it became known that Rickman was annoyed by his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
This conclusion can be drawn from a letter from producer David Hayman, in which he persuaded the artist not to get upset, praised his work and emphasized its importance, as well as from the note "In Snape's Head", written while working on the tape "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" ...
Alan Rickman took an early interest in art.
While still in high school, he took part in school productions, and then studied graphic design at the Chelsea College of Art and Design (at the London University of the Arts) and at the Royal College of Art.
In 1978, Rickman joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in the early 1980s starred in a number of television projects.
The real breakthrough for Alan Rickman was the role of Viscount de Valmont in Howard Davis' 1985 production of Dangerous Liaisons based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos.
The actor appeared in this memorable image, first in London and then on Broadway and received a Tony Award nomination.
In those same years, Rickman made his Hollywood debut, playing the antagonist of the protagonist in the film Die Hard.
In 1992, the artist was awarded a BAFTA award for his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", and the 1996 film "Rasputin" brought him three prestigious awards at once - "Emmy", "Golden Globe" and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
Also among the most striking projects with the participation of Alan Rickman - "Sense and Sensibility", "God's Creation", "Love Actually", "Dogma", "Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet Street", tapes of the Harry Potter franchise and many others.