Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Tomorrow
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 12/23/1965
WEBSITE: https://www.damiandibben.com/
CITY: London
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
http://thehistorykeepers.com
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: nb2012009125
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/nb2012009125
HEADING: Dibben, Damian
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053 _0 |a PR6104.I235
100 1_ |a Dibben, Damian
370 __ |a London, England |c England
372 __ |a Screenwriting |a Writing |a Acting
374 __ |a Screenwriter |a Actor
375 __ |a male
377 __ |a eng
670 __ |a The storm begins, 2011: |b t.p. (Damian Dibben) back flap (he has worked as a screenwriter, a Londoner living in London; this is his first novel)
670 __ |a IMDB website, 4 Apr. 2012 |b (Damian Dibben, actor and writer)
PERSONAL
Born December 23, 1965, in London, England; partner’s name, Ali.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Actor and screenwriter. Actor in films and on television, including Lipstick on Your Collar, 1993, The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Attack of the Hawkmen, 1995, Big Women, 1998; Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon, 1998, The Blonde Bombshell, 1999, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, 2003, and Simple appareil, 2008.
WRITINGS
The “History Keepers” series has been optioned for film.
SIDELIGHTS
Actor Damian Dibben made a reputation for himself beginning in the early 1990s with small roles in television movies and series like Lipstick on Your Collar and The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones. “I didn’t set out to be a writer at all, but fell into it through a series of chances,” Dibben explained in Soon. “From an early age, my great love was film. More than books back then. I watched many every week, and if they had an impact – and all varieties appealed and still do, comedies, dramas, suspense, horror, new films or black and white – I’d watch them again and again, until I understood why they worked so well, how the building blocks had been stacked up. This is how I first learnt about writing, how to develop characters and tell a story.”
In 2011, however, Dibben launched a new career as an author of fantasy fiction for young adults: the “History Keepers” series. “I was reading a book called The History of the World, which had one hundred pages with loads of pictures going from Ancient Egypt and connecting all these civilisations,” the author said in an interview with Siân Ranscombe in the London Telegraph. “I thought, ‘I wonder if you could tell an adventure story that weaved in and out of all these great events’ – that’s where the idea came from. I pitched it to my agent at the time as a screenplay but she said it was too ambitious so we came up with the idea of writing it as a book.” In the series “the emphasis is on the civilisations of the past and the great people who shaped them,” Dibben told an interviewer for Federation of Children’s Book Groups, “the inventors, explorers, pioneers, architects, world-changers – as well as history’s notorious villains.” “Growing up, I loved adventure stories and films (anything from classic Robert Louis Stevenson to Indiana Jones and James Bond),” the author explained in an interview in Take the Family, “but I also believed history was the greatest story of them all: the epic sweep of it, the extraordinary locations, the cast of heroes … as well as the villains.”
Dibben followed the publication of the third volume of the “History Keepers” series with his first novel for adults, Tomorrow. “The book follows the quest of a 217-year old dog who must travel through the courts and battlefields of Europe in search of the man who granted him immortality,” Dibben explained in an interview for Mylifemybooksmyescape. “The dog lived a mostly comfortable life prior to the separation,” declared a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “but in the aftermath, his days are impoverished and worry-filled.” Although his master instructed him to meet him on the steps of the cathedral in Venice, after years of waiting the dog sets off on a search that stretches across Europe. “His journey takes him from Elsinore Palace to the London Frost Fair of 1608, from the strange court of king Charles I to the wars of the Spanish Succession, the golden age of Amsterdam and to nineteenth century Venice,” the author continued on the Mylifemybooksmyescape website. “He befriends both humans and animals, falls in love (only once), marvels at the human ability to make music, despairs at their capacity for destruction and gains insight into … the human spirit.”
Critics found Tomorrow an intriguing study of both human and canine qualities. “Tomorrow offers a rich exploration of love, life and loyalty, in a world whose sensory atmosphere is irresistible,” wrote Jean Zimmerman in a review for National Public Radio. “Clearly, Dibben has created a different, fantastical world, in which one extraordinarily intelligent, sensitive, poetic dog sets himself apart from the pack, even refusing to consume meat…. It’s a grand sweep of adventure and travel, war and romance — along with a generous amount of face licking — that will have dog lovers enthralled.” “With a hint of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and a dash of W Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose,” asserted Mari Carlson in BookPage, “Tomorrow confronts big questions about life’s purpose and celebrates life’s pleasures.” “For fans of historical fiction or animal tales,” concluded Booklist reviewer Heather McCammond-Watts, “Dibben’s soulful debut is a charmer.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 1, 2018, Heather McCammond-Watts, review of Tomorrow, p. 30.
BookPage, April, 2018, Mari Carlson, review of Tomorrow, p. 18.
Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2018, review of Tomorrow.
Telegraph (London, England), June 20, 2014, Siân Ranscombe, “The World of Damian Dibben.”
ONLINE
Damian Dibben website, https://www.damiandibben.com (August 1, 2018), author profile.
Federation of Children’s Book Groups, http://www.fcbg.org.uk/ (March 26, 2014), “An Interview with Damian Dibben.”
Mylifemybooksmyescape, https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/ (March 29, 2018), “Author Interview: Damian Dibben.”
National Public Radio, https://www.npr.org/ (March 24, 2018), Jean Zimmerman, “You Don’t Have to Be a Dog Person to Enjoy ‘Tomorrow.'”
Soon, http://thesoonproject.co.uk/ (August 29, 2017), “An Interview with Author Damian Dibben.”
Take the Family, https://www.takethefamily.com/ (August 1, 2018), Rhonda Carrier, “An Interview with Globetrotting Children’s Author Damian Dibben.”
the story so far...
THIS IS EXCITING. TOMORROW IS MY FIRST BOOK FOR ADULTS . THE NICE PEOPLE AT HARPERCOLLINS US ARE PUBLISHING IT IN AMERICA IN MARCH 2018, WHIST IN THE UK THOSE AT PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE RELEASE IT IN MAY.
I CUT MY TEETH IN THE BOOK WORLD WRITING THE THREE HISTORY KEEPERS NOVELS, AN "INTELLIGENT, QUICK-WITTED" ADVENTURE SERIES FOR YOUNG ADULTS. ABOUT A BOY WHO DISCOVERS HIS PARENTS ARE LOST IN HISTORY AND MUST JOIN A SECRET SERVICE TO TRACK THEM DOWN, THE NOVELS HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED INTO TWENTY-SEVEN LANGUAGES AND A MOVIE WENT INTO DEVELOPMENT.
PREVIOUSLY I WORKED AS A SCREENWRITER AND OCCASIONAL ACTOR IN FILMS AS DIVERSE AS THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, PUSS IN BOOTS AND YOUNG INDIANA JONES.
I'M A KEEN EXPLORER, TRAINEE ANIMAL WHISPERER AND INSPIRED BY JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM ARCHEOLOGY TO COSMOLOGY. (HELP YOURSELF TO MORE INFORMATION ON ALL THIS IN MY GALLERY)
BORN IN LONDON AND HAVING GROWN UP IN THE MUSEUMS OF SOUTH KENSINGTON , I'M NOW AMBASSADOR FOR KIDS IN MUSEUMS.
My Books
CLICK ON ICONS FOR MORE INFO
A Path of Life
More Info
Dark Ocean
More Info
Web of Lies
More Info
praise for tomorrow
"..Tomorrow is a richly imagined tale of devotion, the meaning of faith and the price of immortality.."
SUSAN WILSON,
author of One Good Dog
About Damian
ART LOVER
I ORIGINALLY TRAINED AS AN ARTIST AND SCENIC DESIGNER AND ALWAYS START MY WRITING WITH PICTURES (AS ONE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS...) MAKING MOOD-BOARDS LIKE THIS ONE I PUT TOGETHER FOR TOMORROW.
STORY LOVER
IT ALL STARTS WITH A STORY! THESE ARE SOME OF THE BOOKS - AND FILMS - THAT INSPIRED ME TO SIT DOWN AND BEGIN TO WRITE. OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE HUNDREDS MORE...
LEARNING-MAD
I HAD THE GREAT FORTUNE TO GROW UP IN GLOUCESTER ROAD IN LONDON, JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM THE GRAND MUSEUMS OF SOUTH KENSINGTON: THE NATURAL HISTORY, SCIENCE AND VICTORIA & ALBERT. THEY WERE A HOME FROM HOME. MY BROTHER AND I VISITED THEM OFTEN SEVERALTIMES A WEEK AND MY INTEREST IN EVERYTHING FROM MINEROLOGY TO DINOSAURS TO QUANTUM PHYSICS TO FURNITURE DESIGN DATES BACK TO THEN.
TO THIS DAY, I BROWSE ONE OF OTHER OF LONDON'S UNRIVALLED LEARNING PALACES AND NEVER SEEM TO RUN OUT OF NEW THINGS TO SEE. EXCITINGLY, THE BOOK LAUNCHES FOR THE FIRST TWO HISTORY KEEPERS BOOKS TOOK PLACE AMONGST THE EXHIBITS OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM AND I AM A PATRON FOR KIDS IN MUSEUMS, A CHARITY DEVOTED TO GIVING CHILDREN THE SORT OF EXPERIENCE I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE WHEN I WAS YOUNG.
I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT LEARNING AND HAVE VIISITED OVER A HUNDRED SCHOOLS TO GIVE TALKS. I EVEN JOINED A SLEEPOVER AMONGST THE EGYPTIAN SARCOPHAGI OF BLOOMSBURY...!
EXPLORER
''TO TRAVEL IS TO LIVE' AS A CHARACTER SAYS IN TOMORROW - AND I'VE TAKEN HIS ADVICE. THE BOOK, LIKE MY EARLIER ONES, TAKES PLACE ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS MANY DIFFERENT ERAS IN TIME. IN THE HOPE OF EMULATING TINTIN, A FICTIONAL HERO OF MINE, I'VE SET OFF WITH DUDLEY (MY CALM & PHILOSOPHICAL JACK RUSSEL) ON MANY A TRIP OF RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION. WE'VE TRAVELLED THROUGHOUT EUROPE AND EVEN LIVED IN VENICE AND ROME FOR A WHILE.
BUILDER
SINCE I WAS A BOY, I'VE LOVED BUILDING THINGS. I FIND DESIGNING, CONSTRUCTING & DECORATING VERY THERAPEUTIC - ESPECIALLY AFTER DAYS OF BASHING AWAY AT A COMPUTER. SOMETIMES MY SCHEMES END WITH HAMMERED FINGERS AND SWEARING AT INANIMATE OBJECTS, BUT OCCASIONALLY I GET THINGS RIGHT. I'VE BUILT MOST OF THINGS ON THE LEFT IN ONE FORM OR OTHER: TABLES, LIGHTBOXES OF NEBULAE, BOOKCASES WITH SECRET DOORS, FLOATING HANDS - AND THE WRITING SHED TO END ALL WRITING SHEDS - PICTURED WITHOUT DESK..
I LIVE BETWEEN THE SOUTHBANK OF LONDON AND A COTTAGE ON THE DOWNS OF WEST SUSSEX - SO NO COMPLAINTS THERE!. OUR CORNER OF THE COUNTRY IS LIKE A LAND THAT TIME FORGOT: ALL ANCIENT FORESTS AND SECRET HILLS. WHILST IN THE CITY, THERE'S THE RIVER, THEATRES & GALLERIES, THE BUSTLE, AND THE IMPRINT EVERYWHERE OF THE PAST. SHAKESPEARE AND NEWTON AND WREN TROD THE SAME PATHS OF SOUTHWARK AND YOU CAN SENSE THEM STILL. THE FUTURE HAS A HOLD THERE TOO. YEAR UPON YEAR, EXTRAORDINARY BUILDINGS RISE UP AND THE SKYLINE NEVER STOPS EVOLVING. .
Print Marked Items
Tomorrow
Heather McCammond-Watts
Booklist.
114.13 (Mar. 1, 2018): p30.
COPYRIGHT 2018 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Tomorrow. By Damian Dibben. Mar. 2018.336p. Hanover, $26.99 (9781335580290).
Loyalty is about sacrifice and fidelity, and Champion is a dog with a steadfast heart that beats for centuries. After a magical elixir extends his life
but separates him from his beloved master, he is destined to live for over 200 years searching to recover that deep and profound connection.
Throughout his journey, he is a keen and erudite observer of some of history's most intriguing events, characters, and places, including Waterloo,
the War of the Spanish succession, King Charles I, the palace of Versailles, and nineteenth-century Venice. The writing is filled with sensory
descriptions, and the smells and sights of the evolving world are beautifully rendered by the diligent canine narrator. Humanity's foibles and
failings are on full display, as well as the more heartfelt and loving moments between people and their dogs. This reads like a memoir but
includes a touch of magic that makes the dog's journey back to his master feel both ephemeral and timeless. For fans of historical fiction or
animal tales, Dibben's soulful debut is a charmer.--Heather McCammond-Watts
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
McCammond-Watts, Heather. "Tomorrow." Booklist, 1 Mar. 2018, p. 30. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A532250873/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=e1df17fb. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A532250873
TOMORROW
Mari Carlson
BookPage.
(Apr. 2018): p18.
COPYRIGHT 2018 BookPage
http://bookpage.com/
Full Text:
TOMORROW
By Damian Dibben
Hanover Square $26.99, 336 pages ISBN 9781335580290 Audio, eBook available
FANTASY
"You are the soul of all men," a man tells the canine narrator of Tomorrow, written by Damian Dibben, an actor, screenwriter and bestselling
author of the History Keepers, a children's book series. This dog is more than a best friend; he is a loyal companion for more than three centuries,
remaining by his master's side as he works as a chemyst, mathematician, doctor and metallurgist in European castles, courts and field offices.
After they're separated in Venice in 1688, the dog continues to wait and look for his master.
When Vilder, another long-living man, thinks he's spotted the master in 1815, he leads the dog on a search through the Waterloo battlefield and
beyond. By the time we learn the dog's and master's names toward the end of the book, they have already made indelible marks on everyone
they've met, including readers.
The dog's search for his master is also a search for what endures through the ages. The master encounters Galileo, Queen Henrietta Maria
(nicknamed Generalissima by her inner circle), Louis XIV (in the era of "grand hair, heeled shoes, exaggerated cuffs, coloured stockings and
everywhere--attached to elbows, knees and ankles--bows and fussy spills of ribbons") and famous British poet Lord Byron. While these powerful
people rise and fall, the arts provide abiding inspiration and comfort for the hopeful master and dog wherever--and whenever--they are.
They delight in their senses, particularly smell, which is excellently rendered by the canine narrator. In London, the dog finds a "universe of
odours... the all-pervading rye-starch smell of painted timber, here the air was spiced with exotics: sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, coffee and
chocolate."
With a hint of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and a dash of W Bruce Cameron's A Dog's Purpose, Tomorrow confronts big questions about life's
purpose and celebrates life's pleasures.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Carlson, Mari. "TOMORROW." BookPage, Apr. 2018, p. 18. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A532528576/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cc386405. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A532528576
Dibben, Damian: TOMORROW
Kirkus Reviews.
(Jan. 15, 2018):
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Dibben, Damian TOMORROW Hanover Square Press (Adult Fiction) $26.99 3, 20 ISBN: 978-1-335-58029-0
In 1688 Venice, an eloquent, cultured dog who has survived war and revolution becomes separated from his owner, a physician who dabbles in
the "chemystry" of immortality.
After a confusing prologue in which a dead body is found on a beach in Denmark in 1602, the story opens properly in Venice in 1815, long after
the dog and his owner have become separated. The dog lived a mostly comfortable life prior to the separation, but in the aftermath, his days are
impoverished and worry-filled. The dog's first-person narrative is both a joy and a frustration. The memoirlike story is beautifully rich in
perseverance, love, the sweetness of life, and memorable, evocative scents. But the dog's owner and their nemesis, Vilder, another "chemyst," are
known only through the dog's limited point of view. Neither the dog nor his owner is named until late in the story. Until then, the dog is only "my
champion," the owner just "my master." The dog's canine love interest, Blaise, and companion-in-adventure, Sporco, a skinny stray transformed
into a loyal sidekick, are sympathetic partners in the dog's life.
After 127 years of patiently waiting, a supremely loyal dog sets off across Europe, through the battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars, hoping to be
reunited with his owner.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Dibben, Damian: TOMORROW." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A522643084/ITOF?
u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=08c74270. Accessed 15 July 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A522643084
Telegraph.co.uk
Thursday 02 August 2018
Damian Dibben: interview with the creator of The History Keepers
Damian Dibben talks to Siân Ranscombe about time travel, Venice and screenwriting
The world of Damian Dibben
Damian Dibben with his dog Dudley at home in London Photo: Andy Lo Po
Siân Ranscombe By Siân Ranscombe7:00AM BST 20 Jun 2014
Damian Dibben, 47, studied film and stage design at Wimbledon School of Art, and became an actor and screenwriter before coming up with an idea for a novel for young adults five years ago. His series, The History Keepers, has now been published in more than 40 countries and the film rights have been bought by Working Title. His latest book, The History Keepers: Nightship to China (Random House), is out now. He lives in London’s South Bank with his 11-year-old Jack Russell, Dudley.
Routine My week is quite structured. I’m a big eater so there are often multiple breakfasts and lunches. I have an office in Soho which I’ve had since my film-writing days, so I walk along the South Bank with Dudley and cut through St James’s Park or Green Park. I wish I was an early starter but by the time I’ve faffed around and eaten my second breakfast, I usually start work at about 11 and work through lunch. I finish after five or six hours then go and see a film or exhibition, come home and cook a nice meal.
Childhood Rather dramatically my birth certificate reads Eaton Square, which makes me laugh. My parents were only together for that first year and they lived there with my grandfather Hod Dibben, who was a quite famous socialite and naughty boy. When they split up my mum stayed in London and my dad went to live in a National Trust house, Sprivers, in rural Kent. It was quite bizarre because in London it was quite a bohemian existence then at weekends I’d go to this ridiculous house with 25 bedrooms.
PHOTO: Andy Lo Po
Venice The first place I ever went to was Venice when I was 11 and it’s never left me. Every time I go there it just amazes me even more. My grandfather was very good friends with Giuseppe Cipriani, who founded Harry’s Bar. They got drunk one night and allegedly invented the Bellini. This lion [pictured] reminds me of one you’d find in Venice and, as with a lot of my things, was my father’s. I’m hoping it’s from the Renaissance but it may be a slightly later copy. It’s been in the family for ever.
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The History Keepers I grew up loving adventure stories but also had this absolute love of history. I was reading a book called The History of the World, which had 100 pages with loads of pictures going from Ancient Egypt and connecting all these civilisations. I thought, ‘I wonder if you could tell an adventure story that weaved in and out of all these great events’ – that’s where the idea came from. I pitched it to my agent at the time as a screenplay but she said it was too ambitious so we came up with the idea of writing it as a book. And then of course the joke is that the first thing that happened was they bought the film.
Screenwriting Working Title optioned the book very early on and I’ve written the screenplay. It’s exciting to work with them as they are the classic British company. When I was screenwriting, the first proper commission I got was to work with Lloyd Webber on the Phantom of the Opera film (2004), which was a bit surreal. I was going to Hollywood working with incredibly talented people, but it did get very demoralising seeing the amount of things that folded. But I can’t say I wouldn’t do it again.
Dudley I’ve had Dudley (main picture) since he was a puppy. Anna Chancellor, whom I met through a mutual friend 16 years ago, gave me Alfred, his father, who was related to the dogs owned by Charles and Camilla, so he has blue blood. Dudley looks weak but when he’s with his family, who live around the corner, suddenly he’s a bit of a bully.
PHOTO: Andy Lo Po
Globes I’ve been into globes [pictured] ever since I can remember. I have some early 1700s ones I’m having restored at the moment. You can see how the countries were different sizes; California is an island on them.
Time travel The phrase time travel is not one I like because it conjures images of getting in a box and switching a switch. My neighbour put me in touch with a man called Andy Parker who was essentially the mastermind behind the Large Hadron Collider. I’ve been to Cambridge University to meet him a couple of times and he invited me to Switzerland to have a proper tour, so I’m waiting to go sometime this year. They are genuinely researching into time travel.
Jade figurine This figurine [pictured] belonged to my grandmother and looks like an ancient artefact, but the reason I have it is because it looks like something Indiana Jones would find. He was someone who made me want to be involved with films, so that’s why I love it so much.
PHOTO: Andy Lo Po
Grammar I thought grammar was a real weak point of mine but I did a grammar masterclass recently and it turns out I wasn’t so bad after all. When I go to do talks in schools, I get the feeling kids don’t want to write because they’re worried about spelling and grammar, and it’s a shame because the important thing is the story. I know it seems like a mad, silly thing to say but I was never very good at writing, which is why I went into film. Screenplays didn’t really seem like writing; they were just describing what you saw in your head.
Museums When my brother and I were younger, my mother would take us to a different museum every weekend. It’s had such a lasting effect on me. Now I’ve become a patron of Kids in Museums and I’m doing a lot of work for them. I have to go and see something once or twice a week. I just saw the last day of the Cheapside Hoard at the Museum of London and it was mind-blowing. It’s my ideal story – a discovery of treasure no one knew anything about but that tells you so much about its time.
PHOTO: Andy Lo Po
Lightbox My mother was the funniest person I have ever met. I bought this lightbox when she died seven years ago. I wanted something to remember her by. It’s based on a painting by the artist Caspar David Friedrich, whom I’ve always loved, then I had a Japanese artist, Hiroyuki Masuyama, reproduce it. It’s a fantastical landscape and it reminds me of somewhere magical you could escape to but I also love the finish of it. It’s the mix of the old and the new: a 200-year-old painting but produced in this hi-tech way with LED lights and using a photo collage.
For more Telegraph magazine stories, visit our homepage
MYLIFEMYBOOKSMYESCAPE
A little about me, a lot about books, and a dash of something else
MAR 29 2018
AUTHOR INTERVIEW: DAMIAN DIBBEN
67F60DEB-6987-4793-8DD8-BA3018496531
Today I am interviewing Damian Dibben, author of the new historical fiction novel, Tomorrow.
◊ ◊ ◊
DJ: Hi Damian! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview!
For readers who aren’t familiar with you, could you tell us a little about yourself?
Damian: Tomorrow is my first novel for adults having written the children’s/young adult series The History Keepers. The books, three so far, are acclaimed internationally, have been translated into twenty-seven languages with a movie under option with Working Title/Universal. Prior to writing books, I worked as a screenwriter – and occasional actor – in the UK and Hollywood, on films as diverse as Puss in Boots, Phantom of the Opera and Young Indiana Jones. I live with my partner and three dogs half in central London – on the river opposite St Paul’s cathedral – and half in rural W Sussex. I’m a keen explorer and interested in everything from cosmology to archeology to quantum mechanics. I am patron of the Kids In Museums charity and do a good deal of work for them.
DJ: What is Tomorrow about?
AE6E725E-6B0F-4611-9C8D-A9A5ADE95316
Damian: The book follows the quest of a 217-year old dog who must travel through the courts and battlefields of Europe in search of the man who granted him immortality. His journey takes him from Elsinore Palace to the London Frost Fair of 1608, from the strange court of king Charles I to the wars of the Spanish Succession, the golden age of Amsterdam and to nineteenth century Venice. He befriends both humans and animals, falls in love (only once), marvels at the human ability to make music, despairs at their capacity for destruction and gains insight into both the strength and frailty of the human spirit. But Tomorrow’s journey is also a race against time. Danger stalks his path, and in the shadows lurks an old enemy. Before his pursuer can reach him, he must find his master – or lose him forever.
Tomorrow is a story of love that spans the centuries, of hope as the world collapses into war. A story of devotion and courage, and the unbreakable bond between two souls.
DJ: What were some of your influences for Tomorrow?
Damian: Obviously my love of dogs, and all animals, was a major influence. The bond between a human and their dog is one of the strongest and purest that exists on earth. When you look into the eyes of certain dogs, you seem to see something that is wise and ancient. This was my starting point. The book though is also an examination, and ultimately a celebration, of human progress over the last 500 years. I am fascinated by the people who have changed our world in that time, the inventors, explorers, thinkers, scientists. artists and trailblazers; as well as by those who have halted advancement, the despots, megalomaniacs and naysayers. I’m passionate about learning and try to discover at least five new things every day.
DJ: Could you briefly tell us a little about your main characters? Do they have any cool quirks or habits, or any reason why readers with sympathize with them?
Damian: Our narrator is a dog, and a very erudite one! He has lived for 217 years and has a unique perspective, having seen more than any human, both the wonders and the horrors. A human will lose many dogs in their lifetimes, but he is a dog who loses humans. His master went missing 127 years ago, whilst they were on trip to Venice, and he has spent every decade since searching for him, waiting for him to return. He is not without his flaws, but ultimately he is shrewd, brave, philosophical and kind to his core, even when it is dangerous to be so.
His master – whose name we do not discover until the end, like the narrator’s – may also be hundreds of years old. He is man who has faced many demons over the centuries, but has conquered them with his sense of purpose – and humour – with his devotion, duty and belief in right and wrong. Vilder, the last of the three main characters, is at once mercurial, quick-witted, vain, brilliant, selfish, cruel and entirely magnetic. Understanding the precise relationship of these three souls provides the book with a good deal of its tension.
Threaded throughout the story are real characters from history, though often just glimpsed in passing: from King James I and Charles I of England, to Galileo, Rembrandt, Moliere, Lord Byron and Napoleon.
DJ: What is the world and setting of Tomorrow like?
Damian: The world is Europe in the glorious, deeply textured and war-torn centuries from the death of Elizabeth I of England to beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign. The action takes place within the major courts of Europe, in London, Amsterdam, Elsinore, Vienna and Oxford, and also across the wars of those times, most particularly the thirty-years war and the Napoleonic. The aim is to bring the world of the past alive, to give it a beating heart. It is incredibly visual, but you will be able to ‘smell’ this universe too, just as a dog could. (History in general is incredibly pungent!) After the prologue, the first third of the book takes place in 19th century Venice, which is a city steeped in atmosphere and layer upon layer of history and intrigue.
DJ: What was your favorite part about writing Tomorrow?
Damian: The research was fascinating. I started by taking a trip to Venice, with my dog naturally. (The history of Venice and dogs go hand in hand. If you look at any painting of the city from the early renaissance onwards, you will see our four legged companions everywhere..!) I loved learning about how the renaissance came about, what shaped the great minds of the era, and how those minds then shaped our civilisation. Further visits to Amsterdam and Vienna gave me incredible insights into the evolution of those cities and the parts they played in the great human drama of this half millenium.
DJ: What do you think readers will be talking about most once they finish it?
Damian: What it would mean to be immortal, what priorities they might make in their lives, which part of history would be most agreeable and which most terrifying.
DJ: Did you have a particular goal when you began writing Tomorrow? Was there a particular message or meaning you are hoping to get across when readers finish it? Or is there perhaps a certain theme to the story?
Damian: It sounds grandiose to say it, but I am essentially optimistic about the human race. For all the steps back we might take, I believe the general motion is and will always be forward. I wanted to tell a story that illustrated this, that rejoiced in what we’d achieved, whilst keeping an eye on where we might fall. ‘Life is what you make it,’ is a well used phrase, a cliche perhaps, but I believe in it. This is the theme the characters wrestle with most.
DJ: When I read, I love to collect quotes – whether it be because they’re funny, foodie, or have a personal meaning to me. Do you have any favorite quotes from Tomorrow that you can share with us?
Damian: ‘Tomorrow we begin again..’ is a phrase that is used throughout the book, but its meaning and impact changes as the story progresses.
DJ: Now that Tomorrow is released, what is next for you?
Damian: I have started writing a new book, a thriller set in the renaissance art world.
DJ: Where can readers find out more about you?
Website: damiandibben.com
(Website: thehistorykeepers.com)
Amazon Author Page: Damian Dibben
Facebook: Damian Dibben Author page
Goodreads: Damian Dibben
Twitter: Damian Dibben
Instagram: Damian Dibben
DJ: Before we go, what is that one thing you’d like readers to know about Tomorrow that we haven’t talked about yet?
Damian: I’m very handy with a drill and power saw and recently built my own writing shed – a shed to end all sheds – a large vaulted timber room with triple aspect windows looking onto the South Downs of England. If I can build it, fix it or cook it myself, I will!
DJ: Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to answer my questions!
◊ ◊ ◊
*** Tomorrow is published by Hanover Square Press and is available TODAY!!! ***
Buy the Book:
Amazon | Barnes & Nobel | Goodreads | Kobo
◊ ◊ ◊
AE6E725E-6B0F-4611-9C8D-A9A5ADE95316About the Book:
A wise old dog travels through the courts and battlefields of Europe and through the centuries in search of the master who granted him immortality
“Ornate, vivid, deeply colored, and so precise I could smell and taste the world… The story of a dog crossing continents and centuries in search of the man he loves is moving and tender. I was captivated by its charm from the beginning.” —Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Tomorrow tells the story of a 217-year-old dog and his search for his lost master. His adventures take him through the London Frost Fair, the strange court of King Charles I, the wars of the Spanish succession, Versailles, the golden age of Amsterdam and to nineteenth-century Venice. As he journeys through Europe, he befriends both animals and humans, falls in love (only once), marvels at the human ability to make music, despairs at their capacity for war and gains insight into both the strength and frailties of the human spirit.
With the rich historical vision of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and the captivating canine perspective of A Dog’s Purpose, Tomorrow draws us into a unique century-spanning tale of the unbreakable connection between dog and human.
67F60DEB-6987-4793-8DD8-BA3018496531
About the Author:
DAMIAN DIBBEN is the creator of the internationally acclaimed children’s book series the History Keepers, translated into 26 languages in over 40 countries. Previously, he worked as a screenwriter, and actor, on projects as diverse as The Phantom of the Opera and Puss in Boots and Young Indiana Jones. He lives, facing St Paul’s Cathedral, on London’s Southbank with his partner Ali and dog Dudley.
Federation of Children's Book Groups
An interview with Damian Dibben
Mar
26
[2014]
We’ve over 20 different authors and illustrators speaking at next month’s FCBG annual conference, ‘Books and Beyond’, at Worth (April 11-13) and I for one can’t wait!
damiandibbenOne of the seminar speakers on the Saturday afternoon is Damian Dibben. Damian worked for many years in the film industry, as both an actor and a screenwriter (he’s worked with Danny Boyle, Michael Caine and even Al Pacino!) but now he writes full time. He has an office in Soho, where’s kept company by Dudley, his Jack Russell. One of his favourite aspects of being an author is the travel he gets to undertake as part of his research process for his series The History Keepers.
I recently asked Damian a few questions to whet our collective appetites for his seminar session at conference:
FCBG: Which historical figures would you like to invite for a dinner party and what food would you like to eat?
Damian Dibben: I would be intrigued to see how people with particular power interacted – Julius Caesar, Elizabeth I, Louis XIV, the first emperor Qin Shi Huang, and would be fascinated to discuss ideas with Newton, Cicero, Da Vinci, Galileo and Einstein – space/time is a particular obsession of mine. Dickens would be a great host. I might ask Elizabeth Tudor to bring along a hogroast for us all to eat.
FCBG: Which actors and director would you choose if you could choose any to make films of the History Keepers’ books?
Damian Dibben: Many of the main characters are young, so the actors may not be famous yet, but Asa Butterfield (who starred in Scorcese’s Hugo) would make a great Jake. Benedict Cumberbatch would be perfect as Jupitus and Sally Hawkins as Rose Djones. Alfonso Cuaron made the best Harry Potter film I think (The Prisoner of Azkaban) and Gravity of course was mind blowing, so he would be top of the list.
FCBG: Would you like to write the screenplay for any future film of the History Keepers (given your past as a screenwriter)? What is particularly enjoyable about writing for film as opposed for books, and vice versa?
Damian Dibben: I have actually written two drafts of a screenplay for the first History Keeper book, The Storm Begins, collaborating with Working Title who have optioned the books (Les Miserables, Billy Elliot, Atonement) I have been quite faithful to the plotline, but we may end up taking it in a slightly different direction – though with the same characters and premise of course. I enjoy the compact nature of film scripts – they are not usually more than 120 pages long – and you have to make every word count, which is great discipline. I would also describe myself as more visual than literary, which is why films had attracted my interest first.
FCBG: Could you tell us a little about your role as patron of the charity Kids in Museums?
Damian Dibben: I’m totally passionate about museums. I grew up in central London and from a young age continually visited The British Museum, The Tate, Science Museum, V & A and many more. These visits shaped my life and I am keen for other young people to have similar experiences. Kids In Museums is a brilliant charity, making things fun and accesible for kids. I still go to museums every week and my appetite for learning grows every year.
FCBG: Given their ability to move through time, could the History Keepers go forward in time in a future book? What sort of world might they encounter?
Damian Dibben: I love imagining the future and would enjoy writing about it, but I may not visit it in this particular series; the emphasis is on the civilisations of the past and the great people who shaped them, the inventors, explorers, pioneers, architects, world-changers – as well as history’s notorious villains. At some point, I might write another series set in future realms and in general I would be positive about mankind’s advancements. We often take steps back, but I believe essentially we progress.
***********************
My thanks go to Damian for our interview. Even if you can’t make it to conference to see Damian, do check out his books, say hello to him on Facebook, or find him on Twitter.
You Don't Have To Be A Dog Person To Enjoy 'Tomorrow'
March 24, 20187:00 AM ET
JEAN ZIMMERMAN
Tomorrow
Tomorrow
by Damian Dibben
Hardcover, 336 pages purchase
Odysseus loved his faithful hound Argos. Dorothy had her Toto. Helen Keller kept a pampered pit bull, Sir Thomas. But no canine, not even Hollywood superstars Lassie or Rin Tin Tin, can compete with Tomorrow, the hero (and narrator) of Tomorrow, the first adult novel by the prolific British children's book author Damian Dibben.
Barbara Bush's dog, Millie, wrote her own book a few years back, but Tomorrow has a leg up on any presidential pup, because he's the sidekick of a genius wizard named Valentyne. Adopted at four weeks old, Tomorrow is 217 at the time of the book's telling, and he'll live for centuries more — so in dog years, Tomorrow's been around for over a millennium. Time enough to learn more than a few new tricks.
That longevity is thanks to Tomorrow's master, the charismatic Valentyne, who has injected himself and his faithful companion with a compound called "jyhr" that keeps them both alive — all the way from the Middle Ages through Waterloo. It's a grand sweep of adventure and travel, war and romance — along with a generous amount of face licking — that will have dog lovers enthralled.
What observations would you expect to dominate the memoir of a pooch? Everything olfactory, of course. Tomorrow sees the world as a rainbow of scents. There is, above all, the recurring scent of Valentyne: "midnight in a tall forest, stiff parchment paper, a whisper of pine sap." Thus the incantatory metaphorical aroma of love.
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But if Tomorrow is a tale of love, it's also a story of aching loss. For over a century, Tomorrow has been separated, Argos-style, from his beloved master, who was snatched away mysteriously in a Venice church. The dog recalls Valentyne's last admonition: "'If we lose one another, my champion,' — those were his last words to me — 'wait for me on the steps. Just here, by the door.'"
And Tomorrow obeys, but his master never returns. Like celebrated graveside mourners Greyfriars Bobby or Hachiko, the bereft creature, black with tan patches on his belly and at his brow, keeps vigil. He barely sleeps. And the reader feels the dog's yearning. "All those years waiting, the mulchy autumns and whetstone winters, the cathedral steps, wishing on the horizon, all my little spins of hope, dozens of them a day, which were dashed over and over. Yet still I hoped." He finds himself on the lam, which is especially difficult as he has "developed — not unusually for my species — a sense of proportion, quality and color."
Clearly, Dibben has created a different, fantastical world, in which one extraordinarily intelligent, sensitive, poetic dog sets himself apart from the pack, even refusing to consume meat. Tomorrow never knows, but he believes the villain, Vilder, has made off with Valentyne, and therefore Vilder must be followed. So he waits, searches and finally wanders the battlegrounds of Europe seeking his master, a quest that all told goes on for fully 127 years. Man's best friend, indeed.
... somehow, the homely practices of dogdom don't detract from the novel's elegant mystique.
But what of this jyrh and the mad scientist who created it? At one point, England's King James asks if Valentyne's potions are "the magic that witches use. To make storms from the air?" Kind, personable, brainy Valentyne responds that his work is "a science. A sound and logical art." Though he tells the king, "I am no magician," he has managed to distill the secret to life without end.
Other four-legged beasts play a part in Tomorrow's adventures. There is Sporco, a Venetian stray with golden fur in matted clumps and a clownish disposition, who acts as Sancho Panza to his more solemn friend's Don Quixote. Sporco jumps, tussles, wags — a real dog's dog. When an attractive bitch enters the picture, Dibben has Tomorow ruminate on her allure: "I took secret sniffs of air but couldn't place her aroma; there was some mystery to it: sandalwood, marula, jackalberry. And more: the shiver of balmy winds, warm-wet, south seas, palm, coconut and sugar cane."
In these pages you will find some characters doing it doggy style — literally — and plenty of snouts thrust into the hindquarters of strangers. But somehow, the homely practices of dogdom don't detract from the novel's elegant mystique. Tomorrow offers a rich exploration of love, life and loyalty, in a world whose sensory atmosphere is irresistible.
Jean Zimmerman's latest novel, Savage Girl, is out now in paperback. She posts daily at Blog Cabin.
SOON
THE SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING PROJECT
An Interview with Author Damian Dibben
29th August 2017
Damian worked as an actor and screenwriter before he began writing novels. His series, THE HISTORY KEEPERS, about a boy who finds his parents are lost in history and joins a secret service to track them down, is published by Penguin Random House and has been translated into twenty-seven languages. His new novel, TOMORROW, also with Penguin, tells the story of a two-hundred year old dog and his search for his master through the courts and battlefields of old Europe. It will be released in Spring 2018.
When did you start writing? Has it always been what you wanted to do as a career? I didn’t set out to be a writer at all, but fell into it through a series of chances. From an early age, my great love was film. More than books back then. I watched many every week, and if they had an impact – and all varieties appealed and still do, comedies, dramas, suspense, horror, new films or black and white – I’d watch them again and again, until I understood why they worked so well, how the building blocks had been stacked up. This is how I first learnt about writing, how to develop characters and tell a story to create that sense of impact. Having worked as a screenwriter for a decade, both in the UK and Hollywood, I was eventually drawn to writing books. A book is in a way like a completed film, in which you have not only been the ‘writer’, but also the various actors, cameraman, editor and set designer.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to become an author?Getting going on a story can sometimes feel unnatural. Beginning the process of matching an idea in your head with actual words on a page can be like walking into the sea: it’s cold to begin with, you’re apprehensive, you don’t know how deep it is or what lies beneath, but you soon get used to it, and before long you don’t want to get out. More than anything, I think it’s important to set yourself a daily goal, so many words or hours, and stick to it. It may seem sometimes like you’re writing nonsense, but as long as you are dong it, the results will follow.
As a writer you are constantly faced with making Something Out Of Nothing when coming up with storylines, creating characters and so on… Is there a routine or environment you find you work best in? Do you have dos and don’ts for when you have a day of writing? It takes an hour or so for me to get going in the morning, along with a couple of breakfasts, a dog walk and a pint of coffee. I Iike to keep regular working hours Monday to Friday, but of course the story is always ticking away in the background. That can be fun, it’s like having a parallel universe at your disposal. If I’m on a winning streak, I’ll work through lunch and late into the evening. Though if I do, my Jack Russel Dudley protests, sometimes dramatically. Other days, it can be like pulling teeth and I have to remind myself that a journey is taken one step, one word, at a time.
History seems to feature a lot in your writing.. if you could live in any other era- what era would choose? I’d go to Ancient Rome first, for the spectacle of it. An empire has rarely been so far-reaching, ambitious, magnificent and gruesome all at the same time. I’d be fascinated to travel through Europe in the 17th century – avoiding the wars if I could – in the age of enlightenment, to witness the many moments of discovery in science, astronomy, art, architecture and medicine. In the same century, for luxury and sheer, absurd pomp and circumstance, Louis XIV’s Versailles would be hard to beat.
As ambassador/patron for Kids In Museums, what are your top picks for London’s museums? The Victoria and Albert has always been a favourite. There is such a quantity of treasures there, each one with its own story to tell. Walking around you get a sense of the sweep of human history and the wonders that have been created over the centuries by inventors, craftsmen, designers and explorers. In particular, the Renaissance Galleries are awe-inspiring.
When you’re struggling for ideas, where are your ‘go-to’ places in London to feel inspired again? Apart from the above, I’ll go to the theatre perhaps. Many London theatres sell day-seats for ten or fifteen pounds. I’ll go and queue early in the morning for a show that night. The seats are always in the front row, which is my favourite place, as you feel part of the action. London’s parks are numerous and outstanding. Within them, all walks of life come together and interact in a fascinating manner – and they have been that way for hundreds of years, which strikes me as incredibly civilised. Kensington Gardens is a particular favourite, partly because I grew up close by. I find food also gets the ideas flowing, so I’ll go to Borough Market perhaps, see what looks good- shellfish usually – and cook up a feast.
What would you say are the three most inspiring books you’ve ever read?Wuthering Heights is the book I always come back to. It’s ingeniously constructed, whilst having a story of pure dynamite. Reading it is a visceral experience. The characters, whilst not always sympathetic, are entirely absorbing, the story has a perfect arc and the atmosphere is intensely vivid throughout. Bill Bryson’s A Short History Of Nearly Everything is riveting. With a lightness of touch he tells the story of the world and of humanity. We learn everything from how the universe was formed, to the way dinosaurs were first discovered, to what goes on in the centre of the atom. It’s mind bowing – and it’s all true! More recently, I loved The Goldfinch. A boy loses his mother when a bomb goes off in a museum. In a state of confusion he makes away with an important Dutch masterpiece, which he keeps hidden for a decade whilst he grows up. We’re desperate to know if he’ll ever reveal his secret – or indeed face his demons. It’s an epic and modern classic.
Finally, which existing fictional character would you say you’re most similar to? It would be nice to think I’m a little bit like Tintin, someone who enjoys being drawn into an adventure, has lots of eccentric friends and who travels the world with his faithful dog – in his case, Snowy – solving mysteries together. What’s not to like?
To stay in the know with Damian, for book updates and more, you can follow him on Facebook @damiandibbenauthor
An Interview with Globetrotting Children's Author Damian Dibben
Takethefamily.com has been lucky enough to grab a few minutes with bestselling author Damian Dibben, whose children's series The History Keepers has been published in more than 40 countries and translated into 26 languages. Damian is also a patron of the charity Kids in Museums and ambassador of its annual Takeover Day, when children are given meaningful roles in museum, galleries and historic homes.
• Hello Damian, many thanks for sparing the time to talk to Takethefamily.com. I know how busy you are with your writing and travels. My first question is: Did you travel much as a child, and what were your favourite places?
I was lucky enough to go on a school cruise (on a de-commissioned navy ship) when I was just 10, visiting Venice, Crete, Istanbul and Pompeii. It was absolutely awe-inspiring at that age and opened my mind up to the wonders of the past and the possibilities of the future. I still find Venice inspiring on every level. Further afield, I think Rio a surprising and exciting city and have visited many times.
• The History Keepers has been a smash-hit around the world. How did the original idea come about and why do you think it was gone down so well with kids in so many different countries?
Growing up, I loved adventure stories and films (anything from classic Robert Louis Stevenson to Indiana Jones and James Bond) but I also believed history was the greatest story of them all: the epic sweep of it, the extraordinary locations, the cast of heroes - explorers, inventors, world-changers - as well as the villains. I was fascinated by how the course of history could change in a day, maybe with a discovery or a battle. I thought history would be a magical and illuminating backdrop for a thrilling adventure story. I hope the books are popular around the world because they are great fun, full of danger and humour but also deal with things that are important to everyone.
• Do you travel much for research, and if so, what has been your best trip to date?
Nightship to China takes place in Jacobean London then Ming Dynasty China. I travelled to China to research and to get a feel for the country. (Detail is really important to transport readers back to the past).
The previous year, when working on Circus Maximus, I spent five weeks in Rome. It was wonderful to walk into the Senate House that Julius Caesar himself had built and find it still standing, with a roof on! I visited the site of Circus Maximus too, which was the largest stadium ever constructed in the world, fitting up to 160,000 people – double the size of last year's Olympic stadium.
• Any sneak previews as to where the fourth installment might take readers...?!
It's is likely to go back to Egypt in the time of the pharoahs, where forces of evil are congregating for a battle to end all battles. Jake may also make an extraordinary discovery there, about his family...
• If you could time-travel yourself, to what historical era would you go and why?
I am drawn to so many places - perhaps Ancient Greece for its wealth of ideas, or to the Age of Enlightment in Europe, when scientists and astronomers were understanding the world in groundbreaking ways. I love the Minoans, the Aztecs, the reign of Elizabeth I, the artists and thinkers of the Renaissance, Tany Dynasty China, Ancient Egypt… I also have a soft spot for the mad excesses of France in the time of Louis XIV!
Read our tips on educational holidays/tying family holidays in with the National Curriculum.
By Rhonda Carrier