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The Glittering Prizes
Adam Morris, Alan Parks, Mike Clode, Anna Cunnginham, Barbara Ransome and the others leave Cambridge University to discover varying degrees of satisfaction, success and material comfort. But over all of them lies the common memory of those heady, golden days spent in unravelling the knots of friendship, in exploratory sex and in Badinage, that none of them will ever quite forget.A compelling story, "The Glittering Prizes" reflects the changing attitudes and styles of a generaton that went to Cambridge in the fifties.The subject of a highly acclaimed television series starring Tom Conti, "The Glitter Prizes" is a witty, incisive, beautifully written evocation of an era and its children.
- GenresFictionLiterature
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Frederic Raphael
94 books28 followersWriter, critic and broadcaster, Frederic Raphael was educated at Charterhouse School and at St John's College, Cambridge. He has written several screenplays and fifteen novels. His The Glittering Prizes was one of the major British and American television successes of the 1970s.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 9, 2009
3.5 stars, really, but Raphael managed to keep surprising me in a positive way, just when I found myself thinking things were getting a bit too brittle, or too formulaic, so I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt. I will give a longer review in a couple of days, but need to mull it over a bit first.
OK: here's the review -
"The Glittering Prizes" was first published in the mid 1970's and almost immediately made into a highly acclaimed BBC television series. Indeed, there's Tom Conti (the 70's version of Hugh Grant) gazing at me from the front cover, with all of his patented winsome charm, in the lead role of Raphael's semi-autobiographical protagonist, Adam Morris. Reminding me that this book is, first and foremost, a screenplay rather than a novel.
And therein, I think, lies its strength and its weakness. When I first read TGP in the late seventies, having seen the BBC series, I had no difficulty with the characters; each seemed fully realized, because - you know - I could visualize each of them quite distinctly, remembering them from the (excellent) TV adaptation. Returning to the book thirty years later, some of its flaws become more problematic. The fact is, not all of the characters are developed in depth - without the crutch of the TV version, some are quite hard to distinguish from one another, and Raphael's habit of giving almost everyone in the book the same brittle, brilliant style of speaking (these are Cambridge graduates, see - so they're all so terribly clever, all of the time, even when taking out the rubbish) makes for entertaining television, but weakens the novel.
The story, which has a distinct autobiographical flavor, traces the fortunes of a group of characters who attended Cambridge in the 50's, through the early to mid 70's. A later novel, "Fame and Fortune" follows them into the Thatcher years. One of the book's problems is its scope - basically, Raphael introduces us to too many characters in the first couple of chapters, with the result that some receive only perfunctory attention as the screenplay develops. That said, the story arc which focuses on his main character, Adam, is beautifully and affectingly done - despite the glittering dialog, there is genuine depth and substance to the way the character is developed (though one could have wished for a little more time given to his wife, Barbara, who is equally interesting, but receives much less attention from Raphael).
There are six sections in the book, each of which basically focuses on a specific year in the characters' lives, each obviously meant to function as a single episode of the TV script. Adam and Barbara get the best of the deal, appearing in three of the six episodes; others fare less well, and make only a cameo appearance following their introduction in the second. But I don't want to niggle too much - a few of the other couples get their due as well, and the storyline involving Dan, the handsome leading man in the Cambridge episode, who deliberately chooses a quiet life and marries Joyce, who has been knocked up by one of the other flashier characters, is brilliantly done. Raphael also carries off some terrific set pieces with enormous verve - the intercutting of the various characters at their final Cambridge ball, the academic dinner party, breathing life into what would be stale clichés in the hands of a less author.
All the glittering brilliance might rot one's teeth, and it certainly doesn't hold up quite as well as I remembered it. But Raphael provides enough complexity to his development of the two main couples, Adam & Barbara, and Dan & Joyce, to keep the reader interested and, it must be admitted, his dialog is compulsively readable. I will definitely be interested to read the sequel, though it was much less favorably reviewed.
So, provided you bear in mind that this is primarily a screenplay, rather than a traditional novel, "The Glittering Prizes" is well worth your time.
(Wikipedia tells us that Raphael was the screenwriter for, among other films, "Far from the Madding Crowd" and "Eyes Wide Shut").
OK: here's the review -
"The Glittering Prizes" was first published in the mid 1970's and almost immediately made into a highly acclaimed BBC television series. Indeed, there's Tom Conti (the 70's version of Hugh Grant) gazing at me from the front cover, with all of his patented winsome charm, in the lead role of Raphael's semi-autobiographical protagonist, Adam Morris. Reminding me that this book is, first and foremost, a screenplay rather than a novel.
And therein, I think, lies its strength and its weakness. When I first read TGP in the late seventies, having seen the BBC series, I had no difficulty with the characters; each seemed fully realized, because - you know - I could visualize each of them quite distinctly, remembering them from the (excellent) TV adaptation. Returning to the book thirty years later, some of its flaws become more problematic. The fact is, not all of the characters are developed in depth - without the crutch of the TV version, some are quite hard to distinguish from one another, and Raphael's habit of giving almost everyone in the book the same brittle, brilliant style of speaking (these are Cambridge graduates, see - so they're all so terribly clever, all of the time, even when taking out the rubbish) makes for entertaining television, but weakens the novel.
The story, which has a distinct autobiographical flavor, traces the fortunes of a group of characters who attended Cambridge in the 50's, through the early to mid 70's. A later novel, "Fame and Fortune" follows them into the Thatcher years. One of the book's problems is its scope - basically, Raphael introduces us to too many characters in the first couple of chapters, with the result that some receive only perfunctory attention as the screenplay develops. That said, the story arc which focuses on his main character, Adam, is beautifully and affectingly done - despite the glittering dialog, there is genuine depth and substance to the way the character is developed (though one could have wished for a little more time given to his wife, Barbara, who is equally interesting, but receives much less attention from Raphael).
There are six sections in the book, each of which basically focuses on a specific year in the characters' lives, each obviously meant to function as a single episode of the TV script. Adam and Barbara get the best of the deal, appearing in three of the six episodes; others fare less well, and make only a cameo appearance following their introduction in the second. But I don't want to niggle too much - a few of the other couples get their due as well, and the storyline involving Dan, the handsome leading man in the Cambridge episode, who deliberately chooses a quiet life and marries Joyce, who has been knocked up by one of the other flashier characters, is brilliantly done. Raphael also carries off some terrific set pieces with enormous verve - the intercutting of the various characters at their final Cambridge ball, the academic dinner party, breathing life into what would be stale clichés in the hands of a less author.
All the glittering brilliance might rot one's teeth, and it certainly doesn't hold up quite as well as I remembered it. But Raphael provides enough complexity to his development of the two main couples, Adam & Barbara, and Dan & Joyce, to keep the reader interested and, it must be admitted, his dialog is compulsively readable. I will definitely be interested to read the sequel, though it was much less favorably reviewed.
So, provided you bear in mind that this is primarily a screenplay, rather than a traditional novel, "The Glittering Prizes" is well worth your time.
(Wikipedia tells us that Raphael was the screenwriter for, among other films, "Far from the Madding Crowd" and "Eyes Wide Shut").
August 2, 2015
Captures the cognitive dissonance and quiet satisfied resignation of the successful, left leaning British intellectual, who knows what is right, but often does what is convenient.
June 24, 2018
This was so confusing it had no narrative and a cast of moulded characters all of whom could have been the same person. A series of hardly connected events it was just dull dull dull
March 5, 2015
Wonderful. For fans of Evelyn Waugh and David Lodge. Extraordinary, witty dialogue.
April 11, 2025
The start of this book showed promise. It was humorous, witty, and quite intriguing. About 50 pages in, however, all sense of cohesion was lost and it was challenging to follow what was going on. The plot, if you can say there was one, was sloppy and the initial humour was hard to detect at all.
July 25, 2018
Wow, did I really think this was an amazing TV series back in the 70s? Maybe it was. I don't quite know what to make of the "book" (or is it a TV script?). I naively figured it would be a great read.
There's barely any description of the characters who blithely appear, reappear several chapters later. Everyone is frightfully witty and toss away French phrases as if everyone knows them (Probably in the 50s and 70s if you went to Cambridge you did).
Basically, anyone who went to Cambridge in the 50s and was part of the Marlowe Society and Glittering Elite used to be given a pass. A lot of them were brilliant but now they all look exceedingly tiresome and dated. I struggled to get through this mess of a short novel and was determined to finish it for some reason - I don't really know why. Nostalgia probably.
There's barely any description of the characters who blithely appear, reappear several chapters later. Everyone is frightfully witty and toss away French phrases as if everyone knows them (Probably in the 50s and 70s if you went to Cambridge you did).
Basically, anyone who went to Cambridge in the 50s and was part of the Marlowe Society and Glittering Elite used to be given a pass. A lot of them were brilliant but now they all look exceedingly tiresome and dated. I struggled to get through this mess of a short novel and was determined to finish it for some reason - I don't really know why. Nostalgia probably.
March 14, 2018
Frederic Raphael's novelization of his acclaimed 1976 TV series, a group portrait of post-war Cambridge graduates sent out on the crooked road from carefree collegian to cultural commodity. It's mostly dialogue, for which Raphael possesses a fine if pushy gift. The prize character is, of course, the autobiographical one: the militant wit whose forked flippancy semi-rescues him from the maw of self-importance. In Raphael's world, it's survival of the glibbest.
March 9, 2026
This book was both brilliant and a complete mess.
The reason I have been generous with my rating is that it captures, exquisitely, feelings one has in Cambridge, and afterwards, in an incredibly unique way. There are certain conversations you can only have with someone who has been there, and this is like one of those.
The first part, during the undergraduate years, is superb. The meeting of eccentrics, going to the Baron of Beef, falling in love, love cobwebs within a society which everyone takes far too seriously... it is all there. I couldn't believe at each page turn just how much I resonated with all of it. Whilst I have never proposed to anyone, or been abandoned, at a May Ball, the mayhem and romance of that scene was also very well done.
I also really resonated with the characters as they left Cambridge, and the permanent feelings of attachment to the place and the people met there. It sounds so sad, but I have certainly felt that nobody truly moves on from that point - they do different jobs, make new friends, but whenever two meet and remenisce, you wish above everything else that you could be transported back. That is a sentiment that Raphael seems to share, and it was touchingly done here.
However...
I had not realised until I had finished the book that it was an adaptation of a TV series. But, still, that is no excuse for having some completely random scenes with random characters. Sure, we are 'technically' introduced to everyone at the beginning, but practically all the men are the same (smart-ass, arrogant types) and the women are 2D. Thus, in 'An Academic Life', the importance of - well - anything that was going on was lost on me. Some of these seemingly random scenes were more successful. 'A country life', in which old love rivals Dan and Alan come back to meet each other again, was wonderful; partly, though, because I actually remembered who they were. But on other occasions (namely one where someone was arrested (who tf was it?!), and another where someone marries an African-American woman (but, again, who was he and why was he in America??)) it is just far, far too underdeveloped.
The dialogue, too, is tiresome. I am reluctant to criticise it too heavily as it is genuinely witty, and it does give the impression that everyone is a complete know-it-all smart-alec (which is pretty accurate), but I wouldn't actually call it funny much of the time.
Overall, the only real reason to recommend this is if you want to reminisce about Cambridge - as it will remind you of experiences and feelings you had forgotten you'd had. But, if you don't care about that, it isn't great.
The reason I have been generous with my rating is that it captures, exquisitely, feelings one has in Cambridge, and afterwards, in an incredibly unique way. There are certain conversations you can only have with someone who has been there, and this is like one of those.
The first part, during the undergraduate years, is superb. The meeting of eccentrics, going to the Baron of Beef, falling in love, love cobwebs within a society which everyone takes far too seriously... it is all there. I couldn't believe at each page turn just how much I resonated with all of it. Whilst I have never proposed to anyone, or been abandoned, at a May Ball, the mayhem and romance of that scene was also very well done.
I also really resonated with the characters as they left Cambridge, and the permanent feelings of attachment to the place and the people met there. It sounds so sad, but I have certainly felt that nobody truly moves on from that point - they do different jobs, make new friends, but whenever two meet and remenisce, you wish above everything else that you could be transported back. That is a sentiment that Raphael seems to share, and it was touchingly done here.
However...
I had not realised until I had finished the book that it was an adaptation of a TV series. But, still, that is no excuse for having some completely random scenes with random characters. Sure, we are 'technically' introduced to everyone at the beginning, but practically all the men are the same (smart-ass, arrogant types) and the women are 2D. Thus, in 'An Academic Life', the importance of - well - anything that was going on was lost on me. Some of these seemingly random scenes were more successful. 'A country life', in which old love rivals Dan and Alan come back to meet each other again, was wonderful; partly, though, because I actually remembered who they were. But on other occasions (namely one where someone was arrested (who tf was it?!), and another where someone marries an African-American woman (but, again, who was he and why was he in America??)) it is just far, far too underdeveloped.
The dialogue, too, is tiresome. I am reluctant to criticise it too heavily as it is genuinely witty, and it does give the impression that everyone is a complete know-it-all smart-alec (which is pretty accurate), but I wouldn't actually call it funny much of the time.
Overall, the only real reason to recommend this is if you want to reminisce about Cambridge - as it will remind you of experiences and feelings you had forgotten you'd had. But, if you don't care about that, it isn't great.
March 7, 2023
Raphael is a master of crafting story and narrative through dialogue! The characters are memorable, flawed, and entirely realistic. The witty banter between friends is verbal jousting at it's finest! I particularly enjoyed the characters' changing perceptions of Cambridge as they age and overcome relationship hurdles and career challenges.
The novel is clearly a work of literary fiction, less about plot than about character growth and social commentary (or satire in Adam's case). I'd like to read it again, more slowly, and know the context of changes in higher education and media after WW2 to fully appreciate the craft of writing.
My only criticism would be that it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between voices and characters when several characters shared similar looking names. Funnily enough, the two Barbara's were the least confusing doubles. In fact, Adam's marriage to the second Barbara was quite a sweet antidote to the more despondent aspects of Adam's outlook on life.
The Glittering Prizes is a complex, multi-layered novel that rewards the contemplative reader.
The novel is clearly a work of literary fiction, less about plot than about character growth and social commentary (or satire in Adam's case). I'd like to read it again, more slowly, and know the context of changes in higher education and media after WW2 to fully appreciate the craft of writing.
My only criticism would be that it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between voices and characters when several characters shared similar looking names. Funnily enough, the two Barbara's were the least confusing doubles. In fact, Adam's marriage to the second Barbara was quite a sweet antidote to the more despondent aspects of Adam's outlook on life.
The Glittering Prizes is a complex, multi-layered novel that rewards the contemplative reader.
May 22, 2023
It is over 40 years since I read this novel - probably as a result of seeing the television adaptation with Tom Conti.
I feel that the book has stood the test of time and many of the cultural references resonated with me far more than they did at the original reading. It was disappointing that a work that puts anti-Semitism front and centre so well should also be ridden with misogyny and homophobia. I accept that the book was written in the 1970's and reflects English society in the 30 years leading up until then, but I would expect a writer of Raphael's education and intelligence to be able to rise above this - particularly as not all of these references occur in dialogue.
Having said that, I think it is more illuminating to read the book now as opposed to when it was first published, particularly when we reflect on societal shifts since publication. As such, I intend to read the sequel - Fame and Fortune.
I feel that the book has stood the test of time and many of the cultural references resonated with me far more than they did at the original reading. It was disappointing that a work that puts anti-Semitism front and centre so well should also be ridden with misogyny and homophobia. I accept that the book was written in the 1970's and reflects English society in the 30 years leading up until then, but I would expect a writer of Raphael's education and intelligence to be able to rise above this - particularly as not all of these references occur in dialogue.
Having said that, I think it is more illuminating to read the book now as opposed to when it was first published, particularly when we reflect on societal shifts since publication. As such, I intend to read the sequel - Fame and Fortune.
Want to Read
July 4, 2023MyNextRead
February 4, 2024
Author's wet dream (+unpunished misogyny)
August 16, 2026
Utter tosh.
December 30, 2014
Set in 1950s -1970s Britain the story follows the lives of several students from their days at Cambridge to their successes and failures in later life. The main character Adam Morris, Jewish, who marries a gentile becomes a successful novelist. His enduring sarcasm about all life situations is his way of dealing with his life (I assume).
The novel has a huge cast of characters which at times becomes confusing (middle chapters) so a key at the start of the book would be helpful. In those days it was assumed that if you went to Cambridge then life would be yours for the taking upon graduation. This was not necessarily so for some of those graduates.Those who performed in the Footlights Theatre often went onto to tv stardom. However some were happy with what may have been considered mundane jobs such as teaching or the clergy. Others became manipulators, pushy, unlikeable characters who were always wheeling and dealing. Never happy with life and always looking for something they considered better.
A good read if you can keep track of the cast. I saw the tv series in late 1970s. really good.
The novel has a huge cast of characters which at times becomes confusing (middle chapters) so a key at the start of the book would be helpful. In those days it was assumed that if you went to Cambridge then life would be yours for the taking upon graduation. This was not necessarily so for some of those graduates.Those who performed in the Footlights Theatre often went onto to tv stardom. However some were happy with what may have been considered mundane jobs such as teaching or the clergy. Others became manipulators, pushy, unlikeable characters who were always wheeling and dealing. Never happy with life and always looking for something they considered better.
A good read if you can keep track of the cast. I saw the tv series in late 1970s. really good.
June 9, 2008
One of my favorite books - re-read frequently. This was made in 1976 into a 6-episode BBC mini-series, I guess you'd call it, which aired in the U.S. on PBS in 1977 and was phenomenal. It was beautifully written and acted, with Tom Conti in the lead at the top of his game, and a brilliant ensemble cast. (I've tried for YEARS to find this production on VHS or DVD, but the BBC was not releasing it or answering queries, which led me and other interested folks to fear that the masters had deteriorated or been destroyed - but happily, it's finally coming out on DVD in August of this year (2008).
I could plotz with joy. The book is wonderful, and surprisingly, the mini-series is equally so.
I could plotz with joy. The book is wonderful, and surprisingly, the mini-series is equally so.
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October 29, 2013Frederick Raphael’s tale of a group of Cambridge undergraduates begins in the 1950s and follows their progress into the 1970s, scanning perhaps two of the most socially significant decades of the 20th century. Adapted for television, it starred Tom Conti as Adam Morris (yes, that’s where your mum gets her Conti crush from), a young Jewish boy who wins a scholarship to Cambridge and moves through six 75-minute plays covering themes including sexual politics, abortion, class, religion, racism, homosexuality, the ascendancy of the media, yob culture, the erosion of pre-war values and the legacy of fascism. The title is, of course, ironic.
By Sarah Vine
By Sarah Vine
April 29, 2025
The book tells the story of varous Cambridge graduates from the 1950s, including Adam who is semi biographical . Only a small part of the book i about their time at Cambridge , the rest tells the story of what they did in the next 20 years. Its like a series of short unconnected stories and there is no background given about the intervening years in each case. It is also confusing that there are two different people called Barbara.
The good thing about the book is there are a lot of very witty one liners so it is fun to read, but the way the plot develops leaves a lot to be desired , so borrow the book from a library or get a second hand copy and read it once.
The good thing about the book is there are a lot of very witty one liners so it is fun to read, but the way the plot develops leaves a lot to be desired , so borrow the book from a library or get a second hand copy and read it once.
November 22, 2014
Really good stuff, 4.5 stars easy, one of the wittiest books I've ever read. Came to the author after getting the hard sell on a GREAT 60s film called "Nothing But The Best" that Raphael was the screenwriter on, he also wrote the SP for a really solid Audrey Hepburn flick, and wait for it did Eyes Wide Shut.
Hmm really hard to not bump it to five, we'll see how it sits.
Hmm really hard to not bump it to five, we'll see how it sits.
July 23, 2012
Reads like a movie script --- nearly all dialogue, it was serialized by BBC, and quite good on TV.
Very witty, punny, sharp, but empty. Says nothing; characters are too similar, empty, amusing, but covers a void.
Very witty, punny, sharp, but empty. Says nothing; characters are too similar, empty, amusing, but covers a void.
May 2, 2013
It's easy and pleasant to read and full of wit. A kind of saga following Cambridge students through different moments in their lives. I may be wrong but you don't read about antisemitism or racism in the UK that often and it was interesting.
January 22, 2017
A bit boring at times and difficult to continue, and very witty at others. I like the progression of seeing them youthful and thirsty for the world to when they've become older and what they thought they'd never be.
May 6, 2008
Another boring book about what people do after Cambridge...this could be a whole genre to itself, I've read hundreds of books about post-Cambridge life. Blah.
September 21, 2015
Not ageing well.
October 7, 2015
Excellent evocation of 50s Cambridge.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews