© Ken Follett | Last revised: May 2, 2008
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ALSO SEE ...
In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, a magnificent cathedral is built in Kingsbridge ... this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.
THE ART OF SUSPENSE
A history of the thriller on DVD
I've been reading thrillers for longer than I've been writing them. Over time, I've put my ideas on how thrillers work and why we love to read them into a lecture –
The Art of Suspense.
Starting with the first real thriller – Erskine Childer's 'The Riddle of the Sands,' and covering the works of John Buchan, Zane Grey, Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming and Thomas Harris (amongst others) I trace how thrillers have developed.
The historical events that helped drive the development of thrillers, the effect of the Dreyfus trial, Hamlet as an assassin, the impact of the world wars on how we see ourselves ... this history of the thriller will be of interest to students of literature and would-be writers.
I delivered The Art of Suspense at the famous 92nd St Y in New York in 2006 (on Halloween!), and it was filmed and published on DVD. It is around an hour in length.
Watch a preview
Watch a streaming video version of the DVD in four parts (the player will open in a new window). Most browsers will play these clips, but if not, you will need a recent version of the free Adobe Flash player.
›› Follow these links to watch the video: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
How to order a DVD copy
If you would like a copy of the DVD please write to:
Ken Follett, PO Box 4, Knebworth, Hertfordshire SG3 6PT, England.
The cost of the DVD quoted below covers the postage, packing and production costs. Please note that the DVD is available in both PAL and NTSC formats. Please specify which one you prefer.
PAL is the television display standard used in Europe and much of Asia and Africa, while NTSC is the standard in North America. If you are unsure which format you need, please see these Wikipedia entries on PAL and NTSC.
You can download, print and complete this Adobe Acrobat order form and send it to Ken Follett, PO Box 4, Knebworth, Hertfordshire SG3 6PT, England. You should enclose cash to cover the postage and packing – not a cheque or international money order, please, as the bank charges for processing these exceed the face value! I am happy to accept Pounds Sterling, US Dollars or Euros.
| The postage and packing fee for one copy of The Art of Suspense is: | ||
| If you live in the UK send either: | ||
| £5 (five UK pounds) | €7 (seven Euros) | US$9 (nine US Dollars) |
| If you live in Europe send either: | ||
| €8 (eight Euros) | £6 (six UK pounds) | US$10 (ten US Dollars) |
| If you live in the USA or the rest of the world send either: | ||
| US$12 (twelve US Dollars) | £7 (seven UK pounds) | €10 (ten Euros) |
The Art of Suspense 'chapters'
| 1 | Introduction | 10 | Agatha Christie |
| 2 | Erskine Childers | 11 | Dashiell Hammet |
| 3 | John Buchan | 12 | Dennis Wheatley |
| 4 | E Phillips Oppenheim | 13 | Mickey Spillane |
| 5 | Zane Grey | 14 | Ian Fleming |
| 6 | William Tufnell Le Queux | 15 | After Bond |
| 7 | Joseph Conrad | 16 | Thomas Harris |
| 8 | The standard thriller | 17 | Q&A |
| 9 | The psychological thriller |