What's On UEN-TV

Drawing on archival and contemporary materials, this program presents a factual outline of Charles Dicken's life as well as the social and historical background to his writings.

This film in the Famous Author series by Malcolm Hossick tries to uncover the astonishing life of Daniel Defoe who wrote Robinson Crusoe, one of the earliest novels to achieve world wide success. Defoe was a dissenting Christian when deviation from the norm was dangerous. He made a fortune making bricks just after London burned down: he was a very active government spy and he was one of the busiest writers ever. What a man! The film is followed by an overview of his works.

This film by Malcolm Hossick follows the improbable life of Emily Dickinson writing very imaginative poetry in the little New England town of Amherst in the middle of the 19th century. Against all the odds her work, largely unpublished during her lifetime was printed and has found an appreciative audience. A brief overview of her work follows.

John Donne was born into a fascinating and creative period of human history. He got the best education on offer in the England of Queen Elizabeth and hardly out of his teens he was recognised as a poet of astonishing ability. In a period when the pace was set by no less a mortal than Shakespeare Donne had a unique way with words and ideas which delighted and amazed his brightest contemporaries. But it was an age of terrible religious division and as a Roman Catholic by birth he was at once at odds with the prevailing Protestant faith. It was a problem that coloured his whole life and this film by Malcolm Hossick covers the course of his work and the struggles he had to make his way. It includes several of his delightful poems and we see how in spite of his travails Donne's positive spirit rose above them all.

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston the son of actors David and Elizabeth Poe. His father disappeared when he was three and his mother died a year later. He was adopted by a Richmond, Virginia family called Allan. When he was 17 he was disowned by his foster parents. He was determined to be a writer and through many difficulties he succeeded ibecoming one of the first great imaginative writers in the United States. This film by Malcolm Hossick covers his extraordinary life and goes some way to explaining his remarkable and continuing success. It is followed by a brief overview of his work.

George Eliot was born Mary Anne Evans in 1819 near the small town of Nuneaton in Warwickshire. Her father ran the estate of the local landowner. She had an excellent education in local schools and took up journalism. She began writing novels when she was over 30 and became one of the most celebrated and influential writers of her age. The film by Malcolm Hossick traces her life and her remarkable achievements in fields until then dominated by men. It is followed by a brief overview of her work.

Introduces the major themes of Faulkner's poems, plays, short stories, and novels. The film contextualizes life in the American south in the first half of the 20th century; Faulkner's southern upbringing, family history, and race relations in the wake of the Civil War were a major influence on his fiction. In 1924, Faulkner left his small town of Oxford and spent six months in New Orleans, where he was finally able to see the conditions of his upbringing from a distance and become acquainted with a literary circle with Sherwood Anderson at the center, jump-starting his serious fiction writing.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St Paul Minnesota into a fairly well-off family. He began his first novel while at Princeton University and very shortly after leaving it was accepted by Scribners and successfully published. He went on to be the prophet of the Jazz age of the twenties but his popularity declined. He is now recognised as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. This film by Malcolm Hossick covers his life and background and ends with an overview of his work.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) was born in Frankfurt on Main, Germany, into a well-to-do family. He made some attempts to become a lawyer but eventually began writing poetry and novels. He was immediately successful. He joined the court of the Duke of Weimar and from there became accepted as the greatest writer of his age. The film covers his life and background and ends with an overview of his work.

The dramatists of ancient Greece, Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides had a huge influence on their own times but they are arguably just as significant today. In this film Malcolm Hossick uncovers how they worked and why their ideas and methods were so revolutionary.

This film by Malcolm Hossick explores the life and work of the Chinese sage known to the west as Confucius. He did not found a religion and there is nothing about what he said which we have to believe. But the ideas about government and how humans should behave if they wish to live a frutiful life have coloured Chinese life throughout its history. The film explores his background and ideas and how even today Confucius is a powerful force for good in Chinese society.

This film by Malcolm Hossick follows the life and times of the 18th century Scottish poet, Robert Burns. Burns came from a simple farming background but his poetry was soon accepted as of remarkable quality and he is now remembered as the ploughman poet. The film includes examples of his work and is followed by an overview of his work.

This program introduces the rich imaginative life of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, exposed to the world of literature by their father Patrick Bronte priest, examiner, and writer. The family struggled with poverty, and the family home Haworth and moorland provided inspiration for the daughters. Charlotte and Emily were educated at Cowan Bridge School, later the inspiration for Charlotte's Jane Eyre, until their father could no longer ignore the mistreatment they suffered there. Afterward, the Bronte daughters pursued education at home, where they had access to literature, contemporary art, newspapers, and magazines. When their father got sick, the sisters tried to earn a living, but all the girls struggled with the stifling loss of freedom of being a teacher, student, or governess, and Emily returned to Haworth quickly. After years of trying to live as governesses, the three set out to open their own school.

This program introduces the rich imaginative life of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte, exposed to the world of literature by their father Patrick Bronte priest, examiner, and writer. The family struggled with poverty, and the family home Haworth and moorland provided inspiration for the daughters. Charlotte and Emily were educated at Cowan Bridge School, later the inspiration for Charlotte's Jane Eyre, until their father could no longer ignore the mistreatment they suffered there. Afterward, the Bronte daughters pursued education at home, where they had access to literature, contemporary art, newspapers, and magazines. When their father got sick, the sisters tried to earn a living, but all the girls struggled with the stifling loss of freedom of being a teacher, student, or governess, and Emily returned to Haworth quickly. After years of trying to live as governesses, the three set out to open their own school.

This film by Malcolm Hossick explores the life and work of William Blake. He was born the son of a hosier in the then respectable district of Soho in London. He had no formal education but was taught by his mother. He was a voracious reader and as a boy he drew constantly. He studied at an art school and learned the trade of engraving by which he lived. His painting and poetry were valued by only a few in his own times and he died in poverty. Gradually over the ensuing centuries his reputation has grown until now he is highly regarded as a remarkable and talented visionary. The film includes several of his unusual illustrated poems. It is followed by a brief overview of his work.

Like most women of her time Jane Austen lived out her life on home ground. Her adventurous brothers meant however that she was very much in touch with her age. Coupling this with her own remarkable personality she produced some of the finest novels in English literature. This film by Malcolm Hossick covers her life and background and ends with an overview of her work.

Zola was born the son of an Italian engineer. He early determined to be a writer and via work with the publishing firm Hachette, he began writing the many realistic novels with which he made his mark. His work was very popular with a wide audience and he was seen as a champion of democracy and the people. He was exiled for the stance he took against the government at the Dreyfus trial. The film traces his successful and industrious life and ends with an overview of his works.