Nominate a Biography: what authors say
Dirk Bogarde: the authorised biography by John Coldstream
Most crucial to the biographer is the autobiography - although, as I know at first hand, it must be treated with extreme caution! Official biographies, where they exist, are indispensable because their status implies access, both to papers and to people which/who might otherwise be unavailable. Unofficial biographies are most useful when the subject has not written about his or her own life; they also supply a significant, alternative voice and an additional cast of characters.
I was commissioned by a publisher (Ion Trewin at Weidenfeld and Nicolson), and approval was secured from Dirk Bogarde's Estate.
I began [my research] by reading all seven volumes of Bogarde's 'memoirs' and his two further volumes of non-fiction, drawing up a chronology of his life as best I could; then set about confirming, correcting, expanding, filling in gaps, by consulting as many books, archives and witnesses as I could within the relatively limited time available (roughly two and a half years, with another six-to-nine months for the writing; but complications in 2002 - nothing to do directly with the book - caused a delay). One of the interesting early discoveries was the scarcity of references to Bogarde in books by and about those who had professional associations with him.
The many Archives visited included AMPAS and the AFI in California; BIFI in Paris and, above all, the bfi where I spent more time than in any other institution, whether dedicated to the cinema or not. Bogarde's scripts and the Joseph Losey papers in Special Collections proved especially precious resources. The cuttings held by the bfi National Library were of great importance; its database has been a constant ally; its staff have shown not only great knowledge and helpfulness but also, at times, extreme patience.
Outstanding [biographies] from the world of stage and screen in recent years are Kevin Brownlow's Life of David Lean; Adrian Turner's of Robert Bolt; and Philip Hoare's of Noël Coward. Among the best memoirs I would single out Michael Powell's two volumes and that by André de Toth.
